


Our Live, Our Life With Honoka

by ShadowIdol



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Birthday, Everyone Loves Kousaka Honoka, F/F, On Hiatus, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Way Too Many Birthday Fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 46,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowIdol/pseuds/ShadowIdol
Summary: A series of ficlets each based on a μ's song, with each one focusing on a girl giving Honoka some love. Because I don't feel she gets nearly enough.
Relationships: Ayase Eli/Kousaka Honoka, Hoshizora Rin/Kousaka Honoka, Kira Tsubasa/Kousaka Honoka, Koizumi Hanayo/Kousaka Honoka, Kousaka Honoka/Everyone, Kousaka Honoka/Minami Kotori, Kousaka Honoka/Nishikino Maki, Kousaka Honoka/Sonoda Umi, Kousaka Honoka/Toujou Nozomi, Kousaka Honoka/Yazawa Nico
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE

**Author's Note:**

> "Normal" = Talking
> 
> _"Italics"_ = Thinking
> 
> **"Bold"** = Singing
> 
> _**Bold Italics Underlined**_ = Setting

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Kanda Shrine **__**_**

"GO AWAY RAIN!"

Honoka's voice echoed throughout the shrine grounds, and the clouds cleared from the sky, as if heeding Honoka's command. The rest of μ's stared in astonishment as Honoka brought out the sun. Seeing that the sun came out from behind the clouds, Honoka turned back to face her friends with a brilliant smile on her face.

"It really worked! If people put their minds to it, they can do anything! It would be a waste if we only tried to enter Love Live. This will be the greatest legacy that the nine of us can leave behind!" Honoka pointed towards the sky, as if indicating their destination. "Let's aim for victory!"

"Victory?"

"We're going to go that far?"

"Something huge is happening here!"

"That sounds exciting!"

Naturally, hearing such an absurd idea would bring about disbelief and feelings of doubt. And yet...

"At Love Live's big stage, let's sing with all we have, and we'll...become number one!"

If it was Honoka leading them, then they knew that even something as seemingly impossible as beating all the other school idols was something within reach.

"Honoka!"

"Honoka-chan!"

"Honoka!"

If it was with Honoka, then they could make all of their dreams come true.

"Alright! Let's go!"

If it was Honoka, then they could follow her to the ends of the earth, without even a bit of hesitance. Not hesitating even a little bit, Kotori was naturally the first to run after her.

"Yeah! Let's go embrace a dazzling tomorrow together, Honoka-chan!"

Umi, of course, wasn't far behind.

"Geez. You're always like this Honoka. But you know, I love that part of you. Yes, let's make all of our dreams come true."

Everyone else followed suit. They all wanted to follow Honoka, and be at her side. Even Hanayo, who was usually lacking in confidence, couldn't help but want to follow Honoka's shine.

"That's right. If it's Honoka-chan, even I can believe that I can move forward."

"Exactly-nya! Honoka-chan makes me feel even more energetic than usual. Like this energetic temperature just won't go down-nya!"

With this kind of mood, even Maki couldn't keep up her usual image of apathy.

"Yeah. Honoka really does make you want to capture new dreams."

Nico, as usual, was trying, and failing, to show how affected she was by Honoka's enthusiasm.

"It's not going to be easy. We're probably gonna stumble along the way...but I guess Honoka is the type that would just get back up and keep going."

Hearing what Nico had to say about Honoka put a smile on Nozomi's face.

"Yeah. Don't you just love that unyielding expression in her eyes? It really makes her shine don't ya think?"

Eli herself, couldn't help but agree.

"Indeed. She makes you want to be together with her, no matter what."

If it were with Honoka, then the 9 of them, together, could search for a place that made their hearts dance.


	2. Puwa Puwa-O (HonoKoto)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Airport _ **

Having just landed, a flood of people started coming out of the airplane, some excited to be back home, and others excited to visit. Regardless, everyone was glad to have finally landed. One passenger in particular, a woman with ash brown hair styled in a unique manner reminiscent of a bird's nest, was more excited than all the rest. Excited, as well as anxious.

After 4 years of studying fashion abroad, Minami Kotori had finally returned to her home of Tokyo, and there was only one thing on her mind right now.

"Honoka-chan. I'm finally home."

**_ Awaji, Tokyo - Homura Shop _ **

Standing behind the counter of the sweets shop was a very well known former school idol. Kousaka Honoka, the leader and center of the legendary school idol group, µ's, famous for her energetic smile.

Although it would appear that at the current moment, Honoka was not feeling her usual abundance of energy, as she gives out a sigh.

"Things are so boring with no one around. Why did mom and dad have to take Yukiho on their trip anyways? And why didn't they take me?"

Hearing the chime indicating a customer, Honoka put on her best smile and turned to greet the customer.

"Welcome custome-"

Actually taking a look at the customer, Honoka was stunned. She tried to say something, but no words were coming out. The customer in question, seeing her childhood friend for the first time in 4 years, didn't hesitate to throw herself at Honoka.

"Honoka-chan! I...I'm finally home."

Seeing that Kotori was actually here in front of her, and realizing that tears had started flowing down her face, Honoka managed to regain her composure, and returned Kotori's hug, not being able to stop herself from breaking out into a huge smile.

"Kotori-chan...welcome home."

For a while, they just stayed like that, losing themselves in the other's embrace. Eventually, they pulled apart. Kotori cupped Honoka's cheeks, and...stared.

"Uh...Kotori-chan?"

Kotori didn't take her eyes off of Honoka's face. "Yes?"

"What...are you doing?"

"It's been far too long since I've been able to see your face up close like this Honoka-chan. I intend to make up for all of that lost time."

Smiling at this, Honoka cupped Kotori's cheeks in her own hands as well.

"Mmhmm, me too Kotori-chan! I've missed you so much you know?"

The culmination of finally being able to see Honoka after all these years, and seeing that she hasn't changed a bit, lead to the feelings that Kotori had held in for so long to come pouring out.

"I love you, Honoka-chan."

"Yeah, I love you too Kotori-chan!"

Smiling at Honoka's obliviousness, Kotori shakes her head.

"No, I mean I'm in love with you. The kind of love that lovers share."

Hearing this, Honoka blushed.

"E-eh?"

"That's right. I'm in love with you Honoka-chan. I always have been."

Not wanting Kotori to think her love was unrequited, Honoka entered her 'faito dayo' pose.

"I'm in love with you too Kotori-chan! I only realized it after you left...but I do love you, so very much! So...if you'll have me, then will you please...go out with me Kotori-chan?"

After having held in her feelings for so long, Kotori was absolutely ecstatic to learn that Honoka shared her feelings.

"Yes! Of course I will Honoka-chan! Let's go on a date right now! We have 4 years to make up for after all!"

Taking Honoka's hand in her own, Kotori started leading Honoka outside, in search of a good date spot.

"W-wait up Kotori-chan!"

Realizing that maybe she was taking this too fast, Kotori came to a stop, sticking her tongue out in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that Honoka-chan. I guess I was just a bit too excited."

Honoka shook her head.

"It's ok Kotori-chan. I'm excited about this too. But don't you think that it would be best if we spent this time reuniting somewhere private? How about we head up to my room?"

"Your...room?"

Less than pure thoughts started flooding into Kotori's head at the suggestion, and her face turned entirely red.

"Kotori-chan? Are you ok?"

Brought out of her stupor, Kotori shook her head to make all the impure images go away.

"Yes, I'm alright Honoka-chan. Now, let's head up to your...room."

"Alright. Oh! I know! I'll go make some sweets to celebrate your return! You can go ahead and wait in my room Kotori-chan."

Honoka turned to go towards the kitchen, but found that her arm wouldn't budge.

"Um...Kotori-chan?"

"I'm not letting go of you Honoka-chan. Never again."

"Eh? But I have to go make sweets for you to celebrate with."

Kotori simply responded with a smile.

"Then I'll help! Alone is no good Honoka-chan. From now on, I'm never letting you go anywhere without me."

"Ah, alright then. I understand Kotori-chan. In that case, from now on, let's do everything together!"

"Yes, of course Honoka-chan. That's what I intended after all."


	3. Binetsu Kara Mystery (HonoUmi)

**_Okinawa, Japan - Beach _ **

"Umi da! It's so beautiful!"

Honoka and Umi had both decided to take a week off and go to Okinawa for a vacation. Surprisingly, it was Umi that came up with the idea. Honoka agreed of course, and while she wanted to invite everyone else as well, Umi had convinced her that they were far too busy with their own lives these days, and so it was just the two of them.

Umi, stunned at Honoka's words, turned scarlet, and cupped her face with her hands in an effort to cool it down.

"H-Honoka! You shouldn't say such shameless things so easily!"

"I wasn't talking about you, Umi-chan! I was talking about the sea! Doesn't it just look so beautiful?"

"O-oh."

_"Right, of course. She was just talking about the sea...sigh. Why do I feel so disappointed?"_

Hearing Umi sigh, Honoka turned to look at her, tilting her head in confusion.

"Is something wrong Umi-chan?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing Honoka."

"Hm...well, if you're sure. Let's go into the water then!"

Running towards the sea, Honoka jumped right in, playing around in it. Umi simply stared after her.

_"Honoka looks so beautiful in a swimsuit. Her body is just perfect..."_

Noticing that Umi had yet to follow her into the water, she looked back, only to see that Umi was still in the same spot as before.

"Umi-chan! Come in! The water's great!"

Brought out of her reverie, Umi's face flushed at the realization of what she had just been doing.

_"W-what was I doing thinking such shameless thoughts!? M-maybe it's the heat that's making me this way. Yes, that has to be it."_

Deciding that she needed to cool down, Umi entered into the water with Honoka.

"Umi-chan!"

"Yes, what is it Hono-"

As Umi turned to face Honoka, her face was hit with a surge of water. Quickly realizing that Honoka was the one who splashed her, Umi's eye twitched.

"Hoooonoookaaaa!"

"Eep!"

Aware that she had brought out the monster side of Umi, Honoka tried to get away, but it was a vain attempt. Striking at the water with all her might, Umi released a comically big wave that headed towards Honoka. Not being able to outrun it, Honoka could only stare in horror.

"Someone help me!"

**_ A few hours later... _ **

Having tired themselves out playing in the water, Honoka suggested getting some ice cream as they rested. Naturally, Umi wanted to tell Honoka that it would be bad for her health, but looking at Honoka's face smiling in anticipation of the cool treat was enough to make her relent.

"Delicious! Ice cream on a hot summer's day is just the best!"

Now, seeing Honoka eat her ice cream with such energy and passion, Umi didn't regret letting her buy it. Seeing that the two of them were alone together on a fairly isolated location on the beach, and with the sunset providing such a romantic mood, Umi decided now was the perfect moment to do what she had intended ever since she first suggested coming to Okinawa together.

"Honoka, I have something I need to tell yo-"

"Ah! Umi-chan! Your ice cream is melting!"

Having been so transfixed on watching Honoka, Umi found that she had barely eaten any of her own ice cream, and some of it had melted onto her fingers.

"Don't worry Umi-chan! I'll clean it up for you!"

"You don't need to do th- Honoka!"

Rather than just finding a napkin to wipe it away, Honoka decided the best way to clean it would be to suck it off of Umi's fingers. Having Honoka's lips come in contact with her body was too much for Umi, and she collapsed backwards, falling into the sand, with a strangely satisfied expression on her face.

"S-so...shameless..."

"Umi-chan!? Umi-chan! Are you ok!? Wake up! Umi-chaaaaaan!"

Well, despite missing her chance to confess this day, Umi could say without a doubt that it was a great day. Any day she spent with Honoka was in her opinion. Even if she didn't confess now, just being able to spend time with Honoka was enough for now.


	4. Nawatobi (HonoPana)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Otonokizaka Rooftop _ **

"I still can't believe we beat A-Rise..."

"Geez, Kayo-chin, you've been saying that for days now-nya."

In preparations for the finals of the Love Live competition, the members of µ's were practicing in their usual spot on the roof of their school. They had been practicing for a while now, and were on break at the moment. That was when Hanayo stated her disbelief of their victory over the very top school idol group, as was the norm since said victory.

"But I can't help it! It's just so amazing that we managed to beat the number one idol group in the region."

Jumping into the conversation, quite literally, Honoka voiced her own thoughts on the matter.

"Kayo-chan does have a point though. I can hardly believe it myself to be honest. I mean, this is A-Rise we're talking about after all."

Hanayo and Rin were both startled by Honoka's sudden appearance, but it was more visible in Hanayo, who jumped in surprise.

"H-Honoka-chan!?"

On the other side of the rooftop, Umi could feel her Honoka senses tingling and, looking around for her, saw Honoka startle Hanayo, and immediately headed over to scold her.

"Honoka! You shouldn't bother Hanayo like that! You know she gets scared easily."

"Eh? But I'm not even doing anything Umi-chan!"

Before it could escalate further, Kotori jumped in, attempting to defend Honoka as usual.

"Now now Umi-chan, I'm sure Kayo-chan doesn't really mind."

Seeing the usual routine of Umi and Honoka arguing while Kotori tried to assuage the situation, Eli couldn't help but let out a giggle. Hearing it, the second year trio all stopped their discussion to look at Eli, with Honoka tilting her head in curiosity.

"What is it Eli-chan?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that you 3 are such good friends. It's really nice to see."

Nico, however, disagreed.

"Eh? Are you sure about that Eli? Cause if you ask me, it just seems like they're always arguing."

Nozomi, not being able to resist missing this chance, decided to tease her.

"But Nicocchi, that's the same way you are with Maki-chan."

At this, both of the accused had their faces turn red, and shouted out in outrage.

"W-what are you talking about Nozomi!?"

"W-what's that? I don't get you!?"

Rin herself couldn't resist the teasing smile that came onto her face.

"That's right, Nico-chan and Maki-chan really do get along great-nya! But still, not as great as me and Kayo-chin!"

To emphasize her point, Rin hugged Hanayo close to her.

A moment of silence was followed by the entire group breaking out into laughter. Hanayo herself was laughing a lot more than she usually had the chance to. Locking eyes with Honoka, Honoka smiled her usual energetic smile, and it made Hanayo's heart skip a beat.

It was because of Honoka that she was able to laugh like this. Honoka was the reason for all the great things that had come into her life, and she really was thankful for all of it. Hanayo could still remember Honoka extending her hand to her back then, on the very same rooftop they were standing on right now.

_"Honoka-chan...before I met her, I was always too scared to talk to people, and I could never make friends. I only ever had Rin-chan. But now, because of Honoka-chan, I have all of µ's, and I even managed to reach my dream of becoming an idol because of her. Even more than that, we went further than I ever even dreamed."_

"Honoka-chan...thank you."

Honoka blinked in confusion.

"Hm? What for Kayo-chan?"

Realizing that she had said that last part out loud, Hanayo blushed. Despite this however, she decided that she needed to express just how thankful she was to Honoka.

"For everything."

That just made Honoka more confused, but that was ok. Honoka knew she was grateful now, and that was what mattered. Besides, it was cute seeing Honoka like this.


	5. Aishiteru Banzai! (HonoMaki)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Otonokizaka Academy _ **

"And now, a farewell address from the student representative."

A sudden applause could be heard from the seated audience, as a familiar head of ginger enthusiastically stood up. This in turn, encouraged the rest of the graduating class to stand up and applaud.

Stepping forward, the redheaded student council president walked up to the podium with an embarrased but happy look on her face.

_"Honoka...that's so embarrasing."_

Gathering her composure, Maki addressed everyone in the audience, giving a small bow.

"Good day to you everyone. As some of you may know, I am the current student council president, Nishikino Maki."

Maki took a deep breath, about to begin her speech. Rather than preparing one beforehand, Maki had decided to speak from the heart. And so, taking a deep breath, and looking straight at Honoka for inspiration, started to speak.

"My beloved upperclassmen...I have so many great memories I've shared with you. I really am so glad I have the chance to be here with you all today. It was you that taught me to push forward, even when it was difficult. With you by my side, it gave me the courage to never give up. Standing here, in this moment right now, I want us to look towards the future. Because even though you're graduating, it doesn't mean we have to be apart. I still want to be able to rely on you tomorrow as well."

Giving Honoka a smile, she was happy to be able to get one in return. Honoka's smiles were always so bright. They were like her light in the dark.

Realizing that she was focusing so much on Honoka, Maki blushed. Trying to rein it in, Maki attempted to focus on the rest of the graduating class.

"After graduating, there will be times of uncertainty, but those will be necessary to help us grow into the people we're meant to be. You will come out of those situations as a stronger person for it. It was you upperclassmen that taught me that in times of sadness, what you should do is smile, and the road to happiness will come into view."

And once more, Maki looks to Honoka for support. "It was our former student representative that said that by singing, you can connect with others. So now, I present to you upperclassmen with the same song she did for her own upperclassmen, with gratitude in my heart and best wishes for your futures."

At seeing Honoka become flustered at all the sudden attention, Maki smiled. Proceeding to sit down in front of the nearby piano, Maki started playing.

**Aishiteru banzai!  
Koko de yokatta watashitachi no ima ga koko ni aru**

**Aishiteru banzai!  
Hajimatta bakari ashita mo yoroshiku ne mada gooru janai**

**Saa!**

Taking this as their cue, Hanayo and Rin started singing as well. The spotlights shined on Honoka, Kotori and Umi, showing there respective reactions. Honoka had a look of surprise on her face, with tears pricking at her eyes, while Kotori had already started crying, and Umi giggled at the feeling of déjà vu.

**Daisuki da banzai!  
Makenai yuuki watashitachi wa ima o tanoshimou**

**Daisuki da banzai!  
Ganbareru kara kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite**

At this point, tears were flowing down Honoka's eyes, her hugging Kotori and the both of them crying in happiness while Umi watched on with an exasperated look on her face. Feeling proud of herself for successfully surprising the third years like this, Maki could tell that Hanayo and Rin were thinking the same thing.

"Now, all together everyone!"

**la la la, la la la la la la la**

**la la la, la la la, la la la la la la la la**

A slideshow depicting various places in the school started playing.

**la la la, la la la la la la la**

**la la la la la la la la la**

**la la la la la la la la la~**

Having finished up her performance, the gymnasium exploded into applause. Taking a look at Honoka, all tears and smiles, Maki thought that she looked truly beautiful in that moment. And it made her so proud that she was the one who made her that happy, even if she did have to reuse Honoka's own idea in order to do it.

**_ Clubroom after the ceremony... _ **

Maki was just waiting for the others in the clubroom, when suddenly, the door burst open and she was tackled by a flying head of orange.

"Maki-chan!"

Surprised by the sudden impact, Maki staggered a bit, but managed to regain her footing. She felt Honoka's arms wrap around her and couldn't stop her face from turning red.

"H-Honoka!"

Honoka turned her face up in order to look at Maki, and that was when she noticed Honoka was still crying from the ceremony. Her eyes softening, Maki returned the hug.

"Geez, you can be so immature sometimes Honoka."

"B-but I can't help it! What you did...that just made me so happy Maki-chan!"

Giving Honoka a gentle smile, Maki gently caressed her hair.

"But of course Honoka. It's your graduation. I had to go all out for it."

Hearing these heartwarming words, Honoka gave Maki one of her signature smiles.

"Thank you so much Maki-chan! I love you!"

And once more, Honoka managed to make Maki's face go flushed in a single instant.

"H-Honoka, don't just say such embarrassing things like that!"

Honoka didn't give any indication that she heard her, and just proceeded to say more embarrassing things.

"But you know, just because I'm graduating, I'll still be relying on you again tomorrow. It's like it says in your song. We haven't reached our goal yet!"

Getting far too embarrassed at the overload of Honoka cuteness, Maki turned her head to the side, attempting to calm down.

"O-of course I know that! I-I'll...be there for you every step of the way."


	6. Kururin MIRACLE (HonoRin)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Hoshizora Household _ **

Standing in her room, Rin was checking out her outfit in the mirror. Not used to wearing a skirt, she twirled around a bit, and grinned at the sight of it fluttering. Looking herself over, she gave her reflection a wink.

"I think...I might just be looking a bit cute."

While not completely confident, Rin decided she was gonna do her best. After all, after the fashion show event a few days before, and the push from her friends, Rin was feeling like a miracle could happen. And that was why, now that the second years were back from their field trip to Okinawa, Rin decided she was going to ask Honoka out. Hyping herself up to chase after her goal, Rin did a fist pump.

"Alright-nya! I'll tell Honoka-chan how I feel!"

**_ Awaji, Tokyo - The Homura Shop _ **

Honoka had managed to wake up only a few minutes ago, and had just about finished brushing her teeth when she heard her mother's voice.

"Honoka! A friend is here to see you!"

"Hm? Kotori-chan or Umi-chan maybe? Jeez Umi-chan! It's the weekend. It's ok for me to sleep in today!"

Fully expecting to be chewed out by her childhood friend for sleeping in so late, Honoka started making her way downstairs. To her surprise, it wasn't Umi or Kotori, but rather, it was Rin. Seeing that she wasn't going to get lectured, and always happy to see the first year, Honoka broke out into a smile. Rushing forward to embrace her, as was Honoka's wont, she missed the blush that had accumulated on the first year's face.

"Rin-chan! What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

At hearing Honoka's greeting, Rin sweatdropped. "Honoka-chan...it's in the afternoon now."

Waving away Rin's comment, Honoka disengaged from their hug. "Ah, those are small details." Only now taking the time to take a good look at Rin, Honoka noticed she was dressed up a bit different than usual. Unlike her usual look, Rin was wearing a white skirt, she normally didn't wear skirts, and a green short-sleeve button up over a gray shirt. On top of it all, Rin was wearing jewelry as well.

Noticing that Honoka was looking her up and down, Rin blushed at the attention.

"Um...Honoka-chan?"

Suddenly, Honoka gave Rin a thumbs up.

"You look so cute today Rin-chan! I approve!"

Blushing even further at Honoka's comment, Rin looked down, fiddling around with her skirt in nervousness.

"D-do you really think so?"

Bringing her face up right next to Rin's, Honoka made sure to look her in the eyes.

"Of course I do, Rin-chan! I mean, you always look cute, but you look especially cute today! You should wear skirts more often."

While a bit embarrassed at Honoka's face being so close to her own, hearing Honoka praise her made her break into a wide grin. Twirling around to see her skirt fluttering around, Rin couldn't find herself disagreeing with Honoka.

"Well, if you say so Honoka-chan, then I will-nya!"

Seeing Rin so happy and energetic made Honoka feel happy herself, prompting her own smile to grow. Then, suddenly, Honoka remembered that Rin never answered her question.

"Ah! That's right! Rin-chan, you never told me what you were doing here."

Remembering why she came here herself, Rin lost a bit of her energy. But rather than give into her nervousness, the earlier praise from Honoka gave her the confidence to move forward. Seizing Honoka by the shoulders, Rin did what she came here to do.

"Honoka-chan! I like you! Please go out on a date with me!"

"Eh!?"

Being taken aback by the sudden question and contact, Honoka hesitated for a bit. Then, looking Rin over once again, and noticing the intense focus in her eyes, Honoka smiled, and made her decision.

"Ok Rin-chan! I'll gladly go out with you!"

Shocked that Honoka had actually said yes, Rin let go of Honoka.

"Just let me go get ready first!"

Turning around, Honoka went back upstairs to her room in order to get ready for their date. A while passed before Rin came out of her stupor with a huge grin on her face.

"Honoka-chan said yes! It's such a miracle-nya!"

Twirling around in happiness, her skirt fluttered once more, and Rin felt that maybe, just maybe, it was possible for her to become cute after all.

"Aw, my little Honoka, finally being asked out on a date."

Hearing the voice stopped Rin right in her tracks. Slowly turning to face the direction of the voice, Rin found that Honoka's mother was still there the entire time.

"K-Kousaka-san!"

Honoka's mother smiled at the sight of the nervous girl in front of her.

"Well, take care of my little girl alright? You know how Honoka gets. I worry about her sometimes."

Still in a state of utter shock and embarrassment, Rin could only reply with a "Y-yeah."

_"To have had Honoka's mom see that entire situation and still get her blessing...yeah, it must be a miracle-nya."_


	7. Love Novels (HonoNico)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Otonokizaka Academy _ **

The members of µ's were sitting around in their clubroom, just sitting around, talking, and enjoying their time with each other. Nico, however, was simply staring at Honoka. Noticing this, Honoka turned to face Nico, blinking in confusion.

"Um...Nico-chan?"

Flinching at being caught, Nico quickly turned away. "Y-yes Honoka?"

Honoka tilted her head. "Why were you looking at me like that?"

"L-like what?"

Trying to figure Nico out, Honoka eventually decided that it was a futile endeavor, and shrugged it off, going back to talking with Kotori and Umi. Noticing this, Nico started growing frustrated at Honoka, despite being the one who tried to deflect Honoka's attentions.

_"Damn it, Honoka. Don't ignore me like that! Notice my feelings for you already! Alright, that's it! I'm not giving up! Honoka, this love story is going to have a happy ending!"_

**_ The next day... _ **

Having thought it over the entire night, Nico had come up with a plan to tell Honoka her feelings. Now, waiting at the school gates, hiding an object behind her back, Nico was ready to put her plan into action.

Seeing Honoka coming up, Nico started getting nervous. But luckily, Kotori and Umi had already shown up, having gone on ahead as Honoka slept in as usual. If Honoka were being guarded by the other two second years, then she might have lost her nerve. But as it was, Nico could follow through with her plan. She proceeded to call out to Honoka.

"Honoka!"

Hearing someone call her name, Honoka looked around and noticed Nico standing by the gates. Adorning her face with a smile at seeing her beloved upperclassmen, Honoka started running up to her.

"Nico-chan!"

Throwing herself at Nico, Honoka wrapped the senior girl in a tight hug. Nico, blushing and stammering at the contact, could not bring herself to try to get Honoka off of her. Eventually, Honoka pulled away, and Nico internally cursed, missing the contact.

"So what are you doing here Nico-chan?"

This was it. The moment of truth. Taking the object out from behind her back, Nico thrust it at Honoka with a small bow.

"Here Honoka! This is for you!"

Taking a look at it, the grin on Honoka's face grew wide. It was a heart-shaped box, and of course, Honoka could guess what was inside.

"Ahhhh! You got me chocolates Nico-chan?"

Honoka could hear Nico mumbling something, but couldn't quite make it out.

"Hm? What was that?"

"I said I baked it myself ok!?"

Giggling at Nico's tsundere tendencies, Honoka opened the box to see various chocolates inside. Engraved upon the chocolates were messages such as 'I you', and 'Be mine'. Of course, Honoka being Honoka, completely ignored these messages as she devoured the chocolates. Nico looked on in shock as her plan went completely down the drain, or rather, Honoka's stomach. Finishing off the last of the chocolates, Honoka licked her fingers clean.

"Thanks for the sweets Nico-chan! You're the best!"

Hugging Nico once more to show her appreciation, Honoka skipped off to class.

Nico stood there, overcome with a feeling of despair. Clenching her fists, Nico looked up towards the sky and screamed in frustration, ignoring the looks everyone was given her.

**_ The day after that... _ **

Giggling to herself in a manner that caused the others in the clubroom to back away, Nico couldn't wait for Honoka to come in today. Her plan this time had to work, it just had to!

And when Honoka did come in, she alerted everyone by slamming the door open, waving an object around in her hand.

"You girls will never guess what just happened! Look at this! I found a letter in my locker!"

Their curiosities piqued, the members of µ's gathered around Honoka in an attempt to inspect it. Opening the letter, Honoka started reading out loud to everyone.

**_Dear Honoka_ **

**_I want you to know just how great a person you are. You're always inspiring everyone to do their best, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now, so happy with everyone. I'm sure that if I never met you, then I would just keep on forging ahead, all alone and never getting anywhere. So I want to thank you, for everything. I'm really not good with this kind of thing, but I guess what I'm trying to say, is that, I like you, so please, try to like me back._ **

**_Sincerely, your secret admirer_ **

Everyone, barring Honoka herself, turned their heads to look at Nico. It was obvious that the person in the letter was talking about Nico and her situation as a school idol.

"Wowwww, I have a secret admirer. I wonder who it is."

Well...obvious to everyone except Honoka of course. Everyone in the room couldn't stop themselves from facepalming, Nico even going as far as to do a headdesk.

**_ One more day after that... _ **

Today, Nico stood outside the Homura shop, with flowers in hand. This plan just had to work. Walking inside the store, Nico saw that Honoka's mother was manning the store today. Seeing the flowers, Honoka's mother smirked at the implications.

"You're one of Honoka's friends aren't you? So then would I be right in assuming that those are for her?"

Blushing out of embarrassment at being called out, all Nico could do was nod. Honoka's mother giggled.

"Well, Honoka's in her room, so you can just go ahead and go upstairs."

Giving a small bow to the matron, Nico proceeded upstairs. Walking up to the door of Honoka's room, Nico could feel the nerves getting to her.

_"Oh god, what if this plan doesn't work either? None of my plans have worked at all!"_

But before Nico could change her mind, the door to Honoka's room opened, and out popped the ginger head of hair. Noticing Nico, Honoka tilted her head, blinking in confusion.

"Nico-chan?"

With no other option, Nico shoved the flowers into Honoka's hands. Honoka, surprised at the sudden gift and gesture, almost dropped the flowers. While she managed to get a steady hold of the flowers, something slipped out of them in her struggle with them.

Taking notice of it, Honoka bent down to pick it up. Looking it over, she realized it was a slip of paper.

**_I want to become your girlfriend_ **

Honoka stared at the message for a long, drawn out moment, before slowly raising her head to look at the third year girl. Nico's heart was beating so fast, she feared it would leap out of her chest.

"But Nico-chan, I'm already a girl, and we're already friends."

A moment passed while Nico took in what she just heard Honoka say. Realizing that even this plan didn't work, Nico's emotions completely boiled over, and she exploded.

"Argh! You can be so frustrating sometimes Honoka! It practically takes a genius to be as dense as you! Anyone else would have noticed ages ago! I love you! And I don't mean that in the way friends love each other. I love you in a way that makes me want to hug you like a lover does, kiss you like a lover does, and even makes me want to make love to you!"

Honoka, having been backing away the second Nico exploded, froze. Nico herself, realizing what it was she just said, froze as well.

"W-w-w-wait! Forget I said any of that! I didn't mean it!"

Covering her rapidly flushing face, Nico couldn't bring herself to look at Honoka, who herself, was quite mortified at what just happened.

"S-so then when you say girlfriend, you mean..."

"Y-yeah..."

A long moment of awkward silence passed, before Honoka came to a decision.

"O-ok. I'll be your girlfriend Nico-chan."

Whipping her head around so fast Honoka feared it would snap, Nico stared incredulously at the ginger.

"You...mean it?"

Shooting straight up, Honoka gave off one of her signature energetic smiles.

"Of course Nico-chan! You're amazing! Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend." Remembering what Nico had just said during her confession, Honoka started blushing. "I mean, I'm not ready to...make love to you yet, but I'd love to be able to hug you like that. And I'd love to be able to kiss you like that too. You're a really great person Nico-chan."

Not able to bring herself to look at Honoka's face, Nico looked to the side, but Honoka could see she had a wide smile on her face.

"Well then..I'll be in your care Honoka."

Honoka smiled. "Yeah, me too Nico-chan!"


	8. Fuyu ga Kureta Yokan (HonoEli)

**_ Tokyo, Japan - Otonokizaka Rooftop _ **

Night had fallen, and the moon shone in all its glory. At this time of day, you wouldn't expect to find anyone on school grounds, and yet, on the rooftop of Otonokizaka High, stood a lone figure.

Eli Ayase's long blonde hair blew in the cold winter wind as she stood upon the rooftop of her former school in which she had experienced so many of her precious memories. If one were to take a close look at her face, they might notice that she seemed anxious.

"Honoka..."

That's right. Eli's mind was preoccupied with thinking about her former underclassmen. While not quite willing to admit it out loud to anyone, Eli wasn't afraid to admit to herself that she was in love with the younger girl. Every time she caught sight of the ginger, her heart would start beating faster. Every time Honoka smiled, Eli just wanted to hug her. Naturally, Eli was embarrassed that she was feeling this way, but being in love with Honoka...made her happy. She didn't regret falling in love with her, not one bit.

At least...that would usually be the case. Tonight, however, Eli was feeling conflicted over her feelings for Honoka. Her mind flashed back to that night, one week prior.

**_ One week ago... _ **

Honoka had invited Eli over to her house, saying that there was something she wanted to talk about. Being invited over to Honoka's house alone normally would have made Eli giddy, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the way Honoka had said it. And so, Eli was now inside Honoka's room, with a sinking feeling in her gut.

"So what did you want to talk to me about Honoka?"

Honoka was looking down at the ground, with an arm clutched to her chest, as if she was having a hard time saying what it was she wanted to say. The sinking feeling Eli had grew by the second.

"Honoka?"

Finding the courage to look up at Eli, Honoka just decided the best way to say what she wanted to say was to just come out and say it.

"Eli-chan...I...got scouted to become a professional singer...in America."

Eli could have sworn her heart stopped beating in that instant. Hearing Honoka's words, her thoughts were in a flurry, and Eli couldn't think straight. The only thing she could focus on was the fact that she was losing Honoka, and that scared her more than anything.

"Eli-chan?"

Hearing Honoka's words, but not really listening, Eli knew only one thing. That she needed to get out of there and find somewhere to be alone.

"I-I'm sorry Honoka. I just remembered, I have something else to do."

Quickly standing up, Eli rushed to leave the room.

"Eli-chan!"

Trying to reach out to her, Honoka didn't get the chance, as Eli practically ran out of the room.

"Eli-chan..."

**_ Back to the present... _ **

And for an entire week since then, Eli had avoided Honoka. She was too afraid to meet with Honoka face to face. But of course, she still talked to Umi and Kotori to see how Honoka was doing. That was how she knew that her flight was tonight. And so, Eli came back to the place where she had fallen in love with Honoka in the first place, feeling more conflicted than ever.

"Honoka...what am I supposed to do?"

Bringing out her phone, Eli's fingers hovered above the screen, before eventually dropping it. Staring up at the stars, Eli thought back to their year as school idols. The year in which she tried everything in order to save her school, and failed. And yet Honoka never gave up. It was Honoka who finally managed to save their school, despite Eli trying to discourage her every step of the way. Against someone like Honoka...Eli never stood a chance. Thinking about everything they've been through together put a smile on Eli's face.

And yet...at the same time, knowing it might be years before she ever got to see Honoka again, it made all those memories seem bitter. It hurt, so very much, to know that that smile she so loved, would become too far out of reach. Feeling something wet on her face, Eli reached up and wasn't surprised to find herself crying.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Eli turned to look at the door to the roof, wiping away her tears, foolishly hoping it might be Honoka, even though she knew that that couldn't possibly be right.

The door opened, and against all expectations, the face that appeared was the one Eli loved most in the world.

"Honoka..."

Slowly stepping out from behind the door, Honoka looked nervously at Eli.

"Eli-chan..."

While incredibly happy to see Honoka, Eli feared that it was just a figment of her imagination. That she would simply disappear and she would be left alone. Walking forward, Eli reached up to cup Honoka's cheek. The sensation she felt was definitely that of Honoka's.

"You're real..."

The tears were once again falling down her face, but Eli couldn't bring herself to care. Knowing that Honoka was actually here, and not miles away in the air, made Eli so happy, that she drew her into a hug. Honoka wrapped her own arms around Eli, not being able to stop her own tears. They stayed like that, locked in that moment, savouring it. But all things must come to an end, and this hug was no different. Pulling back, Eli brought her hand up, wiping Honoka's tears from her face.

"Honoka...I'm so glad you're here. But shouldn't you be on that plane?"

Honoka gave her a gentle smile. "I decided not to go."

"Wha-, but why not Honoka! You love to sing and dance! You would have been happy in America."

With that smile still on her face, Honoka wiped away Eli's own tears. "You know Eli-chan, when you ran out of my room last week, I was so confused as to what to do. I wanted your help to decide whether or not to take the offer." At this, Eli felt guilt gnawing at her. But before she could say anything, Honoka continued. "Throughout the entire week, I still had trouble deciding what to do. Even Umi-chan and Kotori-chan couldn't really help me with it. But today, when I got to the airport, I just knew, that I could never leave you. So I raced over here. I just had a feeling that you'd be here, and I'm glad I was right!"

Smiling at this, Eli brought her hand to Honoka's chin, tilting it to the perfect angle to allow for Eli to lean in, slowly. Their lips met, and Honoka, surprised by the act, melted into it. It felt wonderful, as if they were two puzzle pieces that were just meant to fit together.

Separating, Eli stroked Honoka's hair.

"Honoka...I love you."

Blushing at Eli's actions, Honoka nonetheless returned the sentiment.

"I love you too Eli-chan."


	9. Junai Lens (HonoNozo

**_ Awaji, Tokyo - Homura Shop _ **

Nozomi Toujo stood outside of the Japanese sweets shop, ready to go in and help out with the work. Ever since that incident where Honoka first pulled her into helping out around the shop, Nozomi had found herself coming around to help more and more often. Partly because of how much she enjoyed the atmosphere of working together with everyone there, and partly...because of how Honoka made her feel. Being around Honoka was always so lively, and it was always fun. Although being around Honoka did tend to have a way of messing up her thought process.

Nozomi blushed as she remembered the first time Honoka dragged her into helping out with the shop. Nozomi had gotten a bit of rice cake on her nose, and Honoka had tried to wipe it off. But at that point, it had already gotten hard and stuck onto her face. As a solution, Honoka had...used her lips and sucked it off.

Just thinking about it had Nozomi flushed red. Putting her hands onto her cheeks, Nozomi willed herself to calm down.

_"Geez, Honoka-chan sure is dangerous."_

Having sufficiently cooled off, Nozomi walked inside, and saw Honoka's mother at the front desk. Catching sight of Nozomi, Honoka's mom waved her over.

"Oh! Nozomi-chan! Are you here to help out again?"

Giving a small bow, Nozomi greeted the Kousaka matron. "That's right Kousaka-san."

"Well, knowing Honoka, she's probably still asleep. So to start with, could you please go wake her up?"

Nozomi smiled at the thought of Honoka still sleeping. "Yes, that does sound quite like her. Well then, if you don't mind, then I'll just go ahead and do that."

Giving Honoka's mom another small bow, Nozomi made her way upstairs. Having just reached the top of the stairs, Nozomi heard a familiar voice.

"So what do you think I should do Yukiho?"

_"Eh? So Honoka-chan is awake after all? I wonder what she's talking with Yukiho-chan about."_

"H-how should I know? I've never been in love before Onee-chan!"

Nozomi's heart skipped a beat, hoping that she heard wrong.

_"H-Honoka-chan is...in love?"_

Nozomi felt like she stood there for hours, trying to organize her feelings, when Honoka stepped out. Seeing Nozomi standing there, Honoka jumped back in shock.

"N-Nozomi-chan!?"

Honoka's shout snapped Nozomi out of her thoughts.

"Ah, Honoka-chan. Your mom wanted me to come wake you up. But I can see that you're already awake. Well then, shall we go help out?"

Turning around, Nozomi started walking back downstairs. While she seemed like she was as composed as usual on the outside, the truth was that on the inside, her thoughts and feelings were all jumbled up. But she resolved herself to do one thing.

_"Honoka-chan...it's probably Umi-chan or Kotori-chan...they are her childhood friends after all. They've known her longer than I have. I have no right to get in their way. I'll cheer for you Honoka-chan...no matter how much it hurts me to do so."_

"Ah, Nozomi-chan! Wait up!"

Once Honoka caught up with Nozomi downstairs, they started getting ready to work. Together, along with Yukiho and Honoka's father, they started making sweets for the customers. However, Nozomi didn't enjoy herself like she usually did, as what she had heard earlier was still weighing heavily on her mind. Despite this, Nozomi made sure to work hard, and tried not to slow them down.

Eventually, they managed to finish up, and Honoka, deciding she should be able to rest after working so hard, brought Nozomi out to the veranda.

"Whew! That was a lot of work wasn't it Nozomi-chan? Let's go out and enjoy some mizu yokan as a reward for all of our hard work!" Is what Honoka had said.

And so, now the two of them were sitting outside on the veranda, simply sitting back, relaxing, and eating yokan.

"Mmm!" Leaning back, Honoka swung her legs above the veranda, enjoying the nice cool feeling of the yokan in her mouth. "You know, I always used to do this together with Umi-chan when we were kids. It's a shame, but we don't do it as often anymore."

A sharp pain shot throught Nozomi's heart, and she clutched an arm to her chest.

_"So it is Umi-chan after all huh?"_

Raising her eyes to meet Honoka's, Nozomi attempted to push down the pain she was feeling, and tried to put on her usual teasing smile.

"Oh? So then it is Umi-chan then? The girl that Yukiho-chan said you were in love with?"

Her face turning red, Honoka recoiled in shock.

"Eh? So...you heard me and Yukiho talking earlier?"

"Yep! Don't worry Honoka-chan. I'm sure Umi-chan feels the same way about you. You're the only one she's so attached to like that after all. You should tell her how you feel. I'll be cheering you on the whole way."

Straining herself in order to keep smiling, Nozomi fought through the pain and kept it on, with Honoka's happiness in mind. Although it didn't seem to have the intended effect, as Honoka kept her head down, fists clenched.

"Nozomi-chan doesn't get it at all..."

"Eh?"

Before Nozomi could take in what she just heard, Honoka suddenly came flying at her, knocking her down onto the ground. Nozomi didn't have any time to react before their lips met. Nozomi's eyes widened in shock, not knowing how to react.

_"H-Honoka-chan is kissing me!?"_

And just like that, it was over. Honoka pulled back, staring into Nozomi's eyes. That's when Nozomi noticed that she had tears threatening to come out of her eyes.

"I do love Umi-chan, but the one I'm in love with...that's you Nozomi-chan."

_"Eh!?"_

Wiping away her tears, Honoka got off of Nozomi and sat back down, staring at the ground.

"But of course, I can't expect someone as dependable as Nozomi-chan to like someone like me."

Taken aback, Nozomi didn't expect this sudden bout of insecurity from Honoka of all people. But she knew she didn't like it. Clasping Honoka's hands in her own, Nozomi made sure she was making eye contact.

"Honoka-chan. That's not true at all! When I'm around you, it really messes me up ya know? It makes me want to depend on you. So don't say something like that." Bringing her hand up to wipe away any residual teardrops, Nozomi smiled. For the first time since hearing that Honoka was in love, Nozomi was truly smiling. It made her so happy to know that her feelings were reciprocated.

"Honoka-chan is someone that should always be smiling. Because your smile...is just so beautiful. It's the smile I fell in love with after all."

Hearing Nozomi say something so heartwarming about her smile, and knowing that Nozomi felt the same way, it prompted Honoka to give her that very smile.

"Nozomi-chan too! I really love your smile as well!"

Her smile turning into a smirk, Nozomi slowly leaned in.

"Oh? Then why don't you keep me smiling Honoka-chan?"

Despite having been the one to initiate the earlier kiss, seeing Nozomi's face getting so close to her own disoriented Honoka, and she gulped.

"H-how would I do that?"

Their lips were only centimeters apart now, and Nozomi drew in...closer...and then...she reached over her shoulder to grab a yokan and popped it into her mouth.

"Wow! This yokan really is delicious on a hot summers day. It really does bring a smile to my face."

Realizing that Nozomi was teasing her, Honoka pouted. Staring at those tantalizing lips, Honoka decided to just go for it. Once again being caught off guard by Honoka's sudden kiss, Nozomi sat stiff, in shock. And then even more shocking than the sudden kiss, she felt Honoka's tongue on her lips, and she moaned at the feeling, and inadvertently allowed Honoka access into her mouth.

Pulling back, Honoka licked her lips, enjoying the lingering taste of the mizu yokan, and gave Nozomi her own teasing smirk.

"Thank you for the meal~"

Her face completely red at this point, all Nozomi could do in response was hide her face behind her hands in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah. You're welcome."


	10. Shocking Party (HonoTsuba)

**_ Akihabara, Tokyo - UTX Rooftop _ **

The former second year trio of μ's, that is, Honoka, Umi, and Kotori, had just recently finished their third year, graduating from Otonokizaka. As a celebration, the members of A-RISE had offered to host a congratulatory party for them on the rooftop of their own alma mater. The three members of A-RISE had already finished setting everything up, and were now just waiting for the members of μ's.

Kira Tsubasa, the famous, cool and collected center of the popular idol group, was currently fidgeting, getting nervous from the wait. Seeing this, her friend and fellow A-RISE member, Erena, facepalmed, sighing in exasperation.

"Calm down Tsubasa. They aren't even here yet. Freaking out isn't gonna help with anything."

However, despite Erena's words, it did nothing to alleviate Tsubasa's panicking.

"B-but Erena-"

Cutting her off, Anju placed a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder as a sign of support.

"It will be fine. You're worrying too much Tsubasa-chan."

"Anju...maybe you're right."

Erena and Anju let out a collective sigh of relief...

"Or maybe Honoka-san won't even show up!"

...and then they both facepalmed. At this point, Erena's eye was already twitching.

"Tsubasa can be such a pain when it comes to Kousaka-san."

"What about me?"

"Oh nothing. Just that Tsubasa is usually calm and composed but when it comes to y-"

Realizing that a new voice had entered the conversation, Erena's body became stiff, and she slowly turned around. What she saw was Honoka's smiling visage, head cocked to the side in curiosity, along with the rest of μ's. Anju giggled at the situation, while Tsubasa's body had already gone into lock down mode.

"Yeah, Tsubasa-san really is always so cool isn't she? But...what does that have to do with me?"

Still giggling, Anju decided she should probably save Tsubasa from ruining her image here. "Oh, we were just comparing how much cooler Tsubasa-chan is than you."

...or perhaps not. Honoka was pouting, while the rest of μ's were glaring at the three of them. Switching back out of lock down mode, Tsubasa was now in full on panic mode, running up to Honoka, clasping her by the shoulders and staring her in the eyes.

"No! Th-that's not true! You have to believe me Honoka-san!"

Surprised at this sudden change of events, and not sure how to react, gave a nervous laugh.

"Y-yeah, I believe you. You wouldn't lie to me Tsubasa-san."

"Honoka-san..."

For Tsubasa, it was so heartwarming to know that Honoka didn't think badly of her, even for something as trivial as this.

A clap rang out throughout the rooftop, and everyone turned to look at the smiling face of Nozomi.

"Well then everyone, what do you say to starting the party now?"

Erena sighed, just glad that whole debacle was over with. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."

And so, the 12 girls started enjoying themselves. From eating and drinking, or singing and dancing, to simply fooling around. They were all enjoying the atmosphere and just being around each other. Throughout all of this, Tsubasa had managed to calm herself down, and brought back her usual composure. Although she had still been staring at Honoka the entire time, which had not gone unnoticed by her two best friends. Erena, feeling it was too much of a pain to deal with, left the matter to Anju, who walked up beside Tsubasa.

"You should go ask her to dance."

Having regained her confidence, Tsubasa thought over it for a second before getting up.

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

Honoka was in the middle of talking with Umi and Kotori when Tsubasa had walked up to her, offering a hand, armed with a disarming smile.

"May I have this dance?"

Caught up by her charm, Honoka blushed a little, and nodded.

"Yeah, of course Tsubasa-san!"

As a school idol, Honoka would normally be perfectly fine with dancing, however, she wasn't used to ballroom dancing, which was what Tsubasa had asked for. Of course, that didn't stop her from trying, nor did it stop Tsubasa from teaching her. Luckily, Honoka was a quick study when it came to doing something she loved, and the two of them were dancing together before they knew it. Although Tsubasa had certainly enjoyed being able to teach Honoka something new as well.

Dancing with Honoka, Tsubasa lost her sense of the world around her. It was as if there was nothing else, only her and Honoka, dancing together, and she never wanted it to stop. But alas, all things must come to an end, and this was no different. Eventually, the sun set, and they all needed to go home. Having lost her sense of time, Tsubasa was rather surprised, and admittedly somewhat irked, when Umi came up to them, saying she and Honoka had needed to go home.

_"What is she, her caretaker or something?"_

But of course, she hadn't allowed this to show. Maintaining her calm smile. She, reluctantly, separated herself from Honoka. But not before taking Honoka's hand in hers, bringing it up to her lips, and giving it a little kiss.

"Well then, it would appear that's all the time we get to spend together today. Another time then."

Once again blushing from Tsubasa's natural charisma, Honoka could only stutter out a "Y-yeah."

With Umi escorting Honoka home, that left Tsubasa alone with Anju and Erena on the rooftop. The second she was sure they were alone, Tsubasa dropped to the ground onto her knees.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I did that! I actually kissed her! I mean, it was only on the hand, but still, that was so scary! And...Honoka-san blushed. That was so adorable!"

Hearing Tsubasa gush on about Honoka, Erena sighed for the nth time that day, and Anju was still giggling about it. But Tsubasa didn't care. She was proud of herself for what she managed to do, and she was definitely looking forward to experiencing more of this excessive life with Honoka in it.


	11. Ai wa Taiyou Ja Nai? (HonoHarem)

**_ Otonokizaka - Hallways _ **

Rin was happily skipping along on her way home from class when she caught sight of Honoka walking in her direction. Coming to a stop, she waved.

"Honoka-chan-nya! Want to go with me for ramen?"

Coming to a stop, Honoka gave a nervous laugh and waved.

"Hello Rin-Chan. I um...can't. I'm busy."

And with that, she sped off in a hurry, leaving Rin there, blinking in confusion.

"Well maybe next time then-nya!"

**_ Homura Shop _ **

Standing in front of the entrance to the familiar home of her childhood friend, Umi walked inside, bowing as she greeted the Kousaka mother.

"Hello Kousaka-san."

"Ah! Umi-chan! Are you here to help Honoka with studying again? If only Honoka could be as diligent as you."

While used to it, Umi still blushed from embarrassment at the praise being given to her.

"Y-yes, well, that's what I'm here for. To make sure that Honoka is as diligent as she needs to be."

Honoka's mother smiled at seeing the care and affection Umi so obviously held for her daughter.

"Yes, I appreciate it, and I know Honoka does as well. But sadly, there's nothing to be done today. You see, Honoka's not home. She went out, saying she had something to do."

Umi almost let her bag drop in shock of what she had just heard.

"H-Honoka...is doing something without telling me?"

Seeing Umi starting to sulk, Honoka's mom felt bad for her, and so decided to try to cheer her up.

"Well then, since we can't give you Honoka at the moment, how about we give you some of our manju instead?"

"Yes please..."

**_ Gohan-ya Restaurant _ **

Hanayo sighed as she stared at the sign of her favourite establishment. She always loved coming here with Honoka, but when she had asked her earlier on today, Honoka had just told her to go on ahead and enjoy herself for the both of them.

Despite the lack of Honoka, Hanayo decided to honor her wishes and enjoy herself here. Going inside, she ordered two large helpings of rice, one for her to eat in the spirit of Honoka. When the food came around, Hanayo grabbed her chopsticks, and tentatively, held up a small bit of rice.

"Thank you for the food."

Taking it into her mouth, she chewed it around for a bit, before swallowing. Allowing some time for her to take it in, she sighed.

"It's just not the same without you here, Honoka-chan."

In spite of this, Hanayo did not let this deter her, and still managed to finish both helpings...as well as a few more afterwards.

**_ Otonokizaka - Rooftop _ **

"Good work everyone. I think that's enough practice for today."

Eli clapped, and watched as everyone started packing up, getting ready to go home. Her eyes strayed towards Honoka. Blushing a little, she walked up towards her.

"Um, H-Honoka."

Turning towards her upperclassmen, Honoka cocked her head to the side.

"What is it, Eli-chan?"

Feeling a bit nervous, Eli had a hard time spitting out what she wanted to ask. "D-do you want any extra help with your dancing? N-not that I think you need it of course! I just...want to be of help to our leader in any way."

Honoka smiled at her consideration.

"Thanks, Eli-chan! But, I'm afraid I'm busy today. Maybe some other time."

Not expecting to be rejected like this, Eli was at a loss.

"Y-yeah, maybe next time..."

**_ Otonokizaka - Second Year Classroom _ **

The bell rang, and the students rushed to pack their bags and leave as soon as possible. Kotori, finishing rather quickly, walked up to Honoka's desk.

"Ready to go home, Honoka-chan?"

Still packing her things, Honoka gave Kotori a sheepish smile.

"Ah, about that. Sorry, Kotori-chan, but I'm busy doing something else."

While surprised at the turn of events, it didn't deter Kotori at all.

"Oh? What are you doing?"

Honoka froze, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Ah, it's um...hard to explain."

Kotorie narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I'll come with you then."

All Honoka could do in response was laugh nervously.

"No need for that Kotori-chan. You just be safe on your way home from school alright?"

Shoving the last of her possessions into her bag, Honoka ran off. Staring after her, Kotori pouted.

"Honoka-chan..."

**_ Otonokizaka - Music Room _ **

**"Ganbareru kara kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite..."**

Playing the final notes of her song, Maki waited for the applause that usually followed, but was, not that she would ever admit, disappointed to find none.

"That's weird. It's been a while since Honoka has barged in on me playing the piano. I wonder what she's doing."

Maki started thinking about possible reasons Honoka hadn't shown up for some time, when she realized how embarrassing that was.

"N-not that I care or anything!"

Noticing her own outburst, Maki looked around to see if anyone noticed, and seeing no one around, breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's usually Honoka that I have to worry about being too loud...yeah, this is a nice change of pace from her usual meddling."

Starting to play another song, Maki felt like she was lying to herself as she tried to ignore that hollow feeling of emptiness that she was left with without Honoka.

**_ Otonokizaka - Clubroom _ **

Having just finished a μ's meeting, Nico closed her eyes, and waited for Honoka to come up to her and ask her for something senpai-like, as she usually did. She sat there, waiting, but no request ever came. Opening her eyes, she saw Honoka about to leave.

"Hey wait! Honoka! Don't you want me to help you with your Idol poses or anything?"

Turning to face Nico, Honoka gave off a nervous laugh.

"Well, the thing is, I'm kinda busy today. So I can't. Sorry Nico-chan!"

Bowing a little to apologize, Honoka left without another word. Nico was visibly upset by this, even grinding her teeth together.

"Who does she think she is, running off on me like that!?"

**_ Kanda Shrine _ **

Nozomi was sweeping the grounds as per usual, when she heard someone running up the stairs. Catching a glimpse of orange, Nozomi wasn't surprised to see that it was Honoka.

"Honoka-chan! What brings you here? We don't have practice today."

Smiling at seeing Nozomi, Honoka waved.

"Nozomi-chan! I'm just here to pray for something that's all."

Nozomi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Is something big coming up?"

Putting on a secretive smirk, Honoka giggled.

"I guess you could say that."

Realizing she wasn't going to get anymore out of Honoka, she just went back to sweeping as Honoka prayed. She was just finishing up when Honoka got up to leave.

"Honoka-chan. I'm almost done here, so do you want to go do something together?"

Honoka stuck her tongue out, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

"Sorry Nozomi-chan. No can do. I have something I need to be doing today. Maybe some other time."

Nozomi simply watched as Honoka ran off, thinking it was strange since Honoka would normally jump at the chance to be around any friend. But it couldn't be helped. Honoka was busy, and she'd have to understand that. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself as that familiar pang of loneliness came around.

**_ Otonokizaka - Clubroom _ **

Such scenarios had become rather common all throughout the last few weeks, and it was becoming noticeable to everyone in μ's. It seemed that no matter who was asking, Honoka was always busy with something or other. Suspicious of this, Umi had called everyone in for an emergency meeting. There was no practice scheduled today, and so Honoka wouldn't catch on to their plans.

Umi sat at the head of the table, where Nico usually sat. Normally, she would have raised objections, but the situation was serious enough that she had let it slide.

"Let us commence this meeting. Now, does anyone know why we have assembled today?"

Nico raised her hand.

"Yes, Nico?"

"It's because Honoka has abandoned us."

Not being able to take anyone talking about Honoka like that, Kotori stood up, slamming her hands down on the table. Rin quickly followed suit.

"Honoka-chan would never do something like that!"

"Yeah, Honoka-chan loves us too much!"

Maki looked away, twirling her hair, trying to look as apathetic as usual.

"Well she sure hasn't been showing it lately."

Nozomi gave both Maki and Nico a look of disapproval.

"Now that's not very nice you two. I'm sure Honoka-chan is just busy."

Hanayo was fidgeting, letting her mind take her to negative places.

"B-but what if...what if she really has abandoned us. Maybe she found a better idol group to be with."

Feeling everything was getting out of hand, Eli stood up, focusing all the attention on her.

"Now now, let's not jump to conclusions. I'm sure Nozomi is right and that Honoka has just had too many things to do lately."

Umi cleared her throat, pulling the focus back to her.

"Well yes, be that as it may, it is nonetheless true that Honoka has been rather...absent lately. We don't know why, nor do we know whether or not she is...avoiding us. But, Honoka's birthday is coming up. This is our chance to find out what's been going on with her. Now, she told us all specifically not to get her anything for her birthday...which does seem strange, but that's what she wanted. However, we will not be able to honor this wish of hers. We will confront her on her birthday, and with gifts in hand, she will not be able to ignore us."

The girls of μ's all nodded. They now had a plan in mind.

**_ Homura Shop _ **

Honoka woke up with a start as her alarm clock sounded, a huge smile on her face, contrary to her customary lazy awakenings.

"Alright, today's the big day!"

Changing into her uniform and brushing her teeth quickly, Honoka walked right into her sisters' room, not bothering to knock. Yukiho, surprised at her sudden entrance, recoiled in shock. Honoka ran straight up to her sister, tackling her into a hug.

"Happy birthday Yukiho!"

"E-eh!? What are you talking about Onee-chan? It's your birthday."

Getting off of her sister, Honoka just smiles.

"Yep! And that means it's your birthday too!"

"Huh? But that doesn't even make any sense!"

Not responding, Honoka turns around and runs back out the door, heading downstairs. She's surprised to see her parents standing in front of a large banner that says 'Happy Birthday Honoka!'. Smiling growing even wider, Honoka runs up to her parents and pulls them both into a hug.

"Happy birthday Mom and Dad!"

Her parents chuckle, believing she just stumbled and forgot to say 'to me'. Naturally, they return the hug.

"Happy birthday Honoka."

"Yes, happy birthday Honoka."

Releasing her parents, Honoka runs further into the kitchen. Seeing her grandmother, she walks up to her, giving her a more gentle hug.

"Happy birthday grandma!"

Her grandmother gives her a soft chuckle.

"Happy birthday Honoka."

Letting go, Honoka runs outside, and turns back towards her home.

"I'm going to school now! I'll give you all your present when I get back!"

While her parents were visibly confused, Honoka paid this no mind. She started running towards her school, excited as ever to see her friends.

Before she can get very far, she runs into Umi and Kotori, probably here to walk to school together with her. Surprised to see her awake so early, Umi called out to her.

"Hono-"

Before being interrupted by the ginger's hug.

"Happy birthday Umi-chan!"

"H-huh?"

Not being given the chance to feel left out, Honoka let go of Umi and latched onto Kotori as well.

"Happy birthday Kotori-chan!"

Although not quite getting it, Kotori smiled at Honoka's energy.

"Happy birthday Honoka-chan!"

Stepping back, Honoka was about to make her way to school again when she remembered something.

"Oh yeah! You two come up to the roof after school. I've got a surprise for you!"

Leaving her two friends behind, Honoka ran off. Umi and Kotori both just stood there, stumped.

"Well...that's Honoka for you I guess."

Kotori giggled.

"Yes, that's quite like Honoka-chan isn't it?"

Heading in through the gates, Honoka stopped for a second to catch her breath. It was then that she was spotted by the first year trio.

"Honoka?"

Perking up, Honoka turned towards the three of them, and gave Maki a hug.

"Happy birthday Maki-chan!"

She did the same with Hanayo.

"Happy birthday Kayo-chan!"

As well as with Rin.

"Happy birthday Rin-chan!"

The first years, while used to Honoka's energy at this point, were still caught off guard, and were left speechless.

"Remember, come up to the roof after school! I have a present for you."

With that, she ran off. Coming out of her stupor, Hanayo clasped her hands together.

"Did you hear that? She has a present for us. Maybe Honoka-chan isn't abandoning us after all!"

Rin, though confused, was excited at the prospect of a present, and started jumping around.

"Yay! A present-nya! Aren't you glad Maki-chan? Honoka still loves us!"

Unconsciously smiling from Honoka's hug, Rin calling out to her made her remember where she was, and she looked away, twirling her hair.

"I-it's not like I really cared or anything."

Running into the school, Honoka ran through the hallways, where she ran into Eli and Nozomi. Quite literally in Eli's case. Eli grabbed her hand and kept her from hitting the ground.

"Be careful Honoka. You shouldn't run in the hallway like that."

Grateful at Eli's save, Honoka used this opportunity to pull herself into a hug with Eli.

"Yeah, I'll be careful. But more importantly, happy birthday Eli-chan!"

"Huh!?"

Not forgetting about Nozomi, Honoka gave her a hug as well.

"Happy birthday Nozomi-chan!"

Nozomi was just as surprised as Eli.

"Eh?"

"Meet me at the rooftop after school! There's something I wanna show you!"

Seemingly oblivious to her upperclassmen's confusion, Honoka ran off, in search of Nico. Not alleviated of their bewilderment, Eli and Nozomi stared at each other.

"Wh-why was she wishing us a happy birthday?"

"I'm not sure Elicchi..."

Honoka ran towards the clubroom, slamming the door open. And just as she expected, she found Nico sitting there. Running up to the cute idol, Honoka threw herself onto her.

"Happy birthday Nico-chan!"

"Huh? What?"

"Rooftop! After school!"

With those words, Honoka got off her upperclassmen and ran back out the door. Once Nico managed to gather what just happened, she facepalmed.

"That idiot...that's what I was supposed to be saying to her."

Having told everyone to meet her at the rooftop after school, Honoka headed to class. Where she proceeded to fidget in excitement throughout all of her classes, and even through lunch, where she sneaked off to make sure she had everything for her surprise. It felt like forever for Honoka until the bell finally rang, signifying the end of the school day.

First, she went off to go get changed into the outfit she had prepared for today. Then, she ran straight up to the school roof, slamming open the door to their practice area. Expecting to see the usual view, Honoka was pleasantly surprised to see that tables had been set up, with food and drinks on them. There was what appeared to be a mountain of bread, and a load of strawberries as well. Honoka's mouth drooled at the sight of them, but just as she was about to walk up and claim them, she noticed that the rest of μ's was already there, waiting for her.

"Happy birthday Honoka(-chan)!"

At noticing how much they did for her special day, Honoka started tearing up. They all stepped forward, presents in hand, and reiterated.

"Happy birthday Honoka(-chan)."

"Everyone..." Honoka wiped away the tears from her eyes, and tried to look angry. "I told you not to get me anything. I wanted to give you all a present instead today."

Their earlier confusion brought back, Umi was the one that asked what was all on their minds.

"Um...why would you get us a present Honoka?"

Honoka smiled her trademark smile, and ran forward, finding some open space, and then turning around to face all of her friends.

"Because today is my birthday!"

Looking around, Honoka was disappointed to see that everyone still looked confused. She decided to clarify.

"On a person's birthday, it's not just one person who celebrates it. The love for that person is shared, and spread among everyone that's celebrating it. So I figured, a birthday is like the sun isn't it? The birthday girl is the sun, shining down on everyone who celebrates it, bringing light into their lives. I wanted to do that for all of you! I want to be the sun and spread smiles everywhere! And so, these past few weeks, I've been working on a present for everyone! I've been working really hard on a song! I worked on the lyrics myself, and I composed the song myself too! I worked out a dance for it, and I even made the costume by myself too! It was really hard, but now, I can show you guys, and it'll be your birthday present!"

Finally getting an explanation as to why Honoka had been so busy these past few weeks, they all broke out into laughter at how Honoka it was a way to go about it. But then, Eli realized something, and started to pout.

"But wait, Honoka. When I asked you if you needed help with dancing, you rejected my offer."

Honoka sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Well it wouldn't be much of a present if I made you help with it right?"

While understanding her logic, it didn't stop Eli from being upset from all that time she lost where she could have been with Honoka.

As Honoka was about to start, she seemed to remember something, and reaching into her bag, she pulled out a camera, and handed it to Umi.

"Here you go Umi-chan! Can you record this? I want it to be a present for my family too!"

Getting Umi's approval, Honoka stepped back out into the open space, took a deep breath, and started the music.

**"Shiawase o..."**

While Honoka might have put them through a lot, the fact that she went through so much trouble for them on her own special day, just warmed their heart too much to leave them upset, and they couldn't stop the smile that persisted on all their faces throughout their performance.


	12. Mou Hitori Ja Nai yo (Big Sis Honoka)

**_ Homura Bakery _ **

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Honoka dropped what she was doing and opened the door to her room.

"Welcome home Yukiho!"

Yukiho ignored her and slammed shut the door to her own room. Seeing that she was being pushed away again, Honoka let out a sigh.

Having been there when it happened, Honoka knew why Yukiho was acting like this. Yukiho and Alisa had been aiming for Love Live with their idol group, but they failed to make it into the finals. That was 3 days ago, and Yukiho had been isolating herself ever since. She would go to school, come back, and lock herself in her room. Even when their parents tried to coax her out, she would just stay silent.

Well Honoka had had enough. She hated seeing her sister like this, and so, she resolved herself to thinking up a plan that would bring Yukiho back out of her shell.

**_ The next day... _ **

Yukiho had just entered through the door to the bakery, and was about to hurry up to her room to be alone, when...

**Mou, shinaide…**

Hearing the sound of singing, Yukiho stopped right in her tracks.

**Hitori de tojikomoru no wa  
Kanashiku naru desho?**

"I know that voice. It's Onee-chan."

**Yonde hoshii na**

Curiosity getting the best of her, Yukiho followed the voice, and navigated her way through the bakery. Reaching her destination, she found herself out on the veranda, with Honoka standing in the middle of the garden.

"Onee-chan..."

Honoka gives her a gentle smile.

**Mou, shinaide?  
Hitori ni narita garu no wa  
Kizutsukitakunai kimochi nan da ne**

Taking a moment to pause, Honoka stares directly into Yukiho's eyes.

"Please, remember me."

**Tsubuyaita yonaka no hoshi wa kirei**

**Nakitai toki mo aru yo issho ni ireba ii yo  
Kotoba ga mitsukaranai issho naraba ii janai**

As if the words of the song had an impact on Yukiho, she could feel tears threatening to fall. Taking note of this, Yukiho tried wiping them away.

**Un, wakaru yo….  
Omoi ga ooki sugitara  
Kurushiku naru desho?  
Itte miyou ka**

Yukiho tried desperately to stop the tears, but regardless, they just kept falling. Yet even still, Yukiho tried in vain to wipe them away.

**Un, wakaru yo?  
Omoi ni hane ga attara  
Kimi e todoketai kimi ga daisuki**

Still with that gentle smile on her face, Honoka reached a hand out for Yukiho.

**Dakara watashi o omoidashite yo ne  
Tameiki de yonaka no hoshi ga ochita**

Yukiho stood there, staring at Honoka's hand, as the tears fell freely from her face.

**Nakitai toki mo aru yo issho ni ireba ii yo  
Kotoba ga mitsukaranai issho naraba ii janai**

Hesitantly, Yukiho reached a hand out, and Honoka took hold of it, grasping it in her own.

**Aitai toki wa itsumo issho ni ireba ii yo  
Kotoba ni mayou keredo issho naraba ii janai**

With a firm hold on Yukiho's hand, Honoka tugged on it and pulled her into a hug, caressing her hair and rubbing her on the back.

"You don't have to be alone anymore."

At feeling the warmth and affection of being caught in her sister's embrace, Yukiho stopped holding back her sobs. She started wailing, finally letting out all that she'd been feeling for the past few days.

Honoka brought Yukiho over to the veranda, sat down and laid her little sister's head on her lap. Honoka allowed Yukiho to stay there, caressing her hair all the while. Eventually, Yukiho's tears subsided, and she calmed down, but she didn't move from her position. While glad that she was able to comfort her sister like this, Honoka decided to get to the heart of the problem.

"I know it's frustrating. But you have to remember that you aren't alone. If you ever need anything, I'm here for you."

Yukiho stayed silent, taking it all in and thinking everything over. Honoka simply kept patient, and eventually, it was rewarded.

"Onee-chan...how did you deal with it? Not making it to Love Live?"

Honoka looked up to the sky, as her mind flashed back to that time. What she would probably consider the worst few days of her life.

"Well, I was upset about it of course. But, I didn't have much time to dwell on it. I had more important things to worry about."

Being reminded what Honoka had to go through at that time, guilt started clawing away at Yukiho.

"I'm pathetic aren't I? Hiding away and sulking like that just because I couldn't make it to Love Live, when you experienced the same thing, and with almost losing one of your best friends on top of it. I'm sorry onee-chan."

Honoka shook her head, still smiling softly. Moving her hand over to Yukiho's chin, she tilted her head upwards so she could look Yukiho in the eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Yukiho. It's only natural for you to be so upset. It really is such a frustrating experience. There are going to be times like this where you're going to want to cry. But...at those times especially, is when I always want you to remember that you're not alone. The only reason I was able to make it through that time, was because I had so many people there for me. And likewise, I will always be here for you. And not just me, but Alisa-chan too! I'm sure she's been really worried about you these past couple of days."

Another moment of silence. All Yukiho could do was nod as she snuggled further into Honoka's lap.

"You...can be unexpectedly reliable Onee-chan."

Struck by Yukiho's words, Honoka recoiled in shock.

"Wha- you're so mean Yukiho! And here I am trying to help you!"

Honoka crossed her arms and looked away, pouting. And for the first time in days, Yukiho smiled.

"Yeah, thanks Onee-chan. I'm...really glad I have you in my life."

Not expecting such sincere words, Honoka blushed. Looking back down at her sister, Honoka's gentle smile was back in place.

"Of course. That's what big sisters are for."


	13. Anemone heart (KotoHonoUmi)

**_ Homura Bakery _ **

As per usual, Umi and Kotori had come over to Honoka's place in order to wake her up for school. After all, they could always count on Honoka to sleep in on a school day.

Entering into the store, Umi and Kotori bowed to Honoka's mother in greeting, and made their way up to Honoka's room. Knocking on her door, there is no response, and Umi sighs.

"That Honoka..."

Kotori slowly opens the door, and peeks in to see Honoka laying in bed, still asleep. Slowly, she inches towards the edge of the bed, and stares down at Honoka's sleeping face.

"Aw~ Honoka-chan's so cute when she's asleep."

Umi glared in disapproval.

"Kotori! Don't be so shameless!"

"But just look at her Umi-chan! Isn't she just so adorable?"

Despite the strong urge she felt to look for herself, the ever upright Umi resisted, and looked away. That is, at least, until Honoka started turning in her sleep.

"Hn...Umi...chan."

Hearing Honoka call her name out in her sleep, Umi's resolve crumbled, and her head snapped over to look at the sleeping beauty. Staring at her childhood friend, Umi knew it was shameless, but she couldn't stop herself anymore.

_"Kotori was right...she really is cute."_

While Umi was blushing over the sight of Honoka, Kotori was pouting.

_"Why is it Umi-chan that she thinks of in her sleep?"_

As if in response to Kotori's thoughts, Honoka tossed and turned some more.

"Kotori...chan."

Umi's eye started twitching, before she lost it and flipped the blanket over under Honoka, knocking her onto the floor.

"Honoka!"

Jolted awake at the sudden impact and scream, Honoka looked around in panic.

"Eh!? What's going on!?"

Looking up, she sees Umi glaring at her.

"U...mi-chan?"

"Hmph!"

Looking away, Umi storms out of the room, making sure to drag Kotori with her, who had a silly smile on her face, and slams the door.

"Hurry up and get ready for school Honoka!"

Honoka was just left sitting there, scratching her cheek in confusion.

"Ehehe, was it just me or...was Umi-chan angry for some reason?"

Not wanting to anger Umi any further, Honoka rushes to get ready. As she does so, Umi tries to calm down from her childish bout of anger, but finds it hard to do so with Kotori giggling next to her.

"Honoka-chan was dreaming of me..."

"Hmph!"

Not wanting to make a scene, all Umi can do is cross her arms and look away from Kotori. Picking up on this, Kotori moves over to take a look at Umi's face.

"Umi-chan...could it be that you're...jealous?"

Umi's face turned red, and she jumps back at the implications.

"Wh-what are you talking about!? What would I be jealous of?"

Kotori puts a finger on her chin, smiling coyly.

"Oh? So you don't like Honoka-chan then?"

Before Umi can answer, she's saved by Honoka opening the door. All ready to leave for school, Honoka notices that Umi's face is still red.

"Eh? Umi-chan, what's the matter!?"

Worried, Honoka moves closer to Umi and places their foreheads together.

"You don't seem to have a fever..."

Not knowing what to do in this situation, all Umi can do is stand there in shock. Kotori, on the other hand, pouting and jealous over the attention Umi was getting, hugged Honoka from behind.

"Honoka-chan...who do you like more? Me, or Umi-chan?"

Caught completely off guard, Honoka had no clue what to do in this situation.

"Eh!? Um..."

Seeing that Umi was staring intently at her as well, Honoka knew there was no escaping from this.

"Well...I love you both equally!"

And to showcase this, she draws Umi into the hug too. At this proclamation of love, both Umi and Kotori blushed heavily. Umi, having been embarrassed enough for one day, broke free of the hug and started walking off.

"W-well, in any case! Let's hurry up, or we'll be late for school!"

Kotori too separated from Honoka, still pouting a little bit.

"Hmph, and here I thought Honoka-chan was going to say she liked me more."

Following Umi's lead, Kotori started on her way to school, leaving Honoka at a loss.

"Eh!? W-wait for me!"

Hurrying after her childhood friends, Honoka couldn't see the smiles that were on their faces. Sure, a part of them was disappointed at Honoka's answer, but it did make them a bit happy too. As it was, the two of them were content just spending their days with Honoka like this.


	14. Anemone Heart - Part 2

**_ Sonoda Dojo _ **

Umi sat in her room, studying hard. Now in her final year of university, finals were coming up and Umi had been spending all of her free time studying lately. Deciding that she needed a break, she went to go get lunch. Navigating her way around, Umi opened a door to one of her rooms, and saw her grandmother sitting there.

"Oh, hello grandmother."

Umi's grandma turned to face her granddaughter with a gentle smile befitting that of a wise elder.

"Hello Umi. And how are you doing today? Not working yourself too hard I hope."

"Ah, well no. All I'm doing is doing a bit of studying."

"But that's exactly it isn't it? That's all you're doing. You're not even resting properly are you?"

Embarrased that her grandmother knew her so well, Umi looked down at her lap.

"W-well it's not like I can risk failing my finals. I need to do well on them so I can find a good job in the future."

Umi's grandmother maintained her smile, although now with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh that's right. You're at that age where you need to start thinking about your career...as well as marriage."

Umi's face turned a deep crimson.

"G-grandmother! What are you talking about!? I-I'm still too young to think about that!"

The mischievous glint in her eyes did not disappear.

"Hm, you think so? I think you should start thinking about it. I wouldn't be surprised if that granddaughter of Homura's has."

Umi's heart clenched at the thought of Honoka being with anyone else in that kind of way.

"N-no. Honoka's not really the type that thinks about that kind of thing. She's a bit dense after all."

Still with a knowing smile on her face, Umi's grandmother picked up her cup of tea off the table and sipped some of it.

"Well, you never know. After all, it's like I said, you girls are reaching that age where you should start considering settling down."

Umi clenched her fists.

"I-I don't think...she'd be thinking of that type of thing."

Despite her words, Umi's tone came out as hopeful, rather than with her usual tone of certainty.

**_ Kotori's House _ **

Kotori was sitting down at the dinner table with her mother, and they were talking about day to day things, when the topic of finals came up.

"So do you think that you're prepared for your finals yet Kotori?"

Making sure to swallow her food before speaking, Kotori nodded.

"Mmhmm! I'm not too worried! I'm thinking more about graduation right now. It just...keeps getting closer."

Principal Minami smiled at seeing the dejected look Kotori had on her face.

"You're probably going to miss these school days of yours aren't you?"

Thinking about it felt bittersweet to Kotori, and she smiled a melancholic smile.

"Yes, I am. I keep worrying about how everything's going to just suddenly change."

Kotori's mother looked up, as if reliving her own memories.

"Hm, I remember feeling the same way when I graduated. But you know, things don't have to change. You'll probably still hang out with Honoka and Umi like you do now."

Thinking about it, Kotori's melancholic smile turned into a happier one.

"Yeah, you're right mom, thanks! I'm probably just worried about nothing."

"Well, it is good to see that you're thinking about your future. On that matter, what about on the dating front? It wouldn't be bad to start thinking of that right now as well."

Thoughts of Honoka flashed through her mind.

"Yeah, maybe you're right mom."

**_ Homura Bakery _ **

A hand slammed down onto the clock, putting a stop to its obnoxiously deafening sound. Waking up far earlier than she would ever want, Honoka hated to admit that she was getting used to it. Ever since graduating high school, Umi had been even more overbearing on making sure she didn't oversleep, and even Kotori said that maybe it was time she started waking up earlier. Faced against the combined might of her two childhood friends, it was hard for Honoka to disagree, no matter how much she wanted to.

Still not quite awake yet, Honoka rubbed her eyes in an attempt to force herself awake. Stretching her arms out, yawning, she suddenly noticed the face that was right beside her the entire time.

"Good morning Honoka-chan!"

Honoka jumped back on her bed in surprise.

"Kotori-chan! What are you doing here so early?"

Completely unfazed, Kotori had that characteristically gentle smile on her face.

"I was watching you sleep of course. Now get down from there silly, we should start heading to school."

Not understanding why anyone would want to watch her sleep, Honoka tilted her head in confusion.

"Um...why were you watching me sleep?"

Still undeterred, Kotori's expression didn't change.

"Because you're so cute of course!"

Not expecting that answer, Honoka's face flushed red, and not knowing how to react, just rushed to get ready for school. Using this time to think, Kotori's face grew pensive as she lost herself in thought. After having finished getting ready, Honoka noticed this, and waved a hand in front of her face to no effect.

"Kotori-chan? Is...something the matter?"

Snapping out of it, Kotori smiles as to not worry her childhood friend.

"No, I'm fine. Although...there is something I have to tell you."

From Kotori's tone, Honoka could tell it was something serious, and so she sat down, waiting to hear what Kotori wanted to say. Deciding that this was the moment of truth, Kotori took a deep breath, and stared Honoka in the eyes. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Umi had just gotten to Honoka's house and was about to open the door to her room, when Kotori spoke.

"Honoka-chan...I'm in love with you!"

Honoka's eyes widened in shock at the sudden confession. As did Umi's, remembering what her grandmother said about Honoka and settling down. Not wanting to see Honoka with anyone else but her, she slammed the door open. Looking at the new arrival, Honoka and Kotori were surprised to see Umi interrupting them.

"Honoka! Me too! I'm in love with you as well!"

"Eh!? EH!?"

Looking back and forth between the intense gazes of her two best friends, Honoka was at a complete loss. Never did she ever expect herself of all people to be put into this situation.

"I...I..."

Realizing this, Kotori dropped the intensity of her stare and put on a bittersweet smile.

"It's ok Honoka-chan. You don't have to answer us now."

Umi, doing the same, nodded in agreement.

"Yes. But we would still like you to choose between us. I...I know it's selfish, but I am going to make you fall for me Honoka."

Kotori saw Umi's resolve in this, and responded with the same kind of resolve.

"Me too Honoka-chan! I absolutely refuse to lose you! Not to anybody! Not even to Umi-chan!"

Umi and Kotori matched gazes, and with it, a declaration of war. Not knowing what else to say, they both left the room, leaving Honoka standing there, feeling more anxious than she's ever been.

The walk to school was tense, with Kotori and Umi each holding onto one of Honoka's arms the entire way. Honoka felt incredibly awkward walking like this, not only because of the extra weight, but also because everyone they passed gave the three of them strange looks. It got even worse when they got to school, because there, many of those stares were from people Honoka knew personally.

It did not get any better when they had to go to class. Not wanting to be separated from Honoka, Kotori gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking off. Umi, not wanting to lose Honoka to Kotori, did the same, despite how heavily she was blushing while doing it.

Feeling all the stares on her, Honoka rushed to class, where she failed to focus on the lesson at hand. Her mind was too busy thinking over everything that had happened this morning.

_"Umi-chan and Kotori-chan like me...that way. I had no clue. I wonder how long they've been feeling this way. What do I do now? If I choose one, then I'll hurt the other. And I don't even know how I feel. If I choose one of them without actually loving them, that would probably turn out pretty bad too. How I feel about those two..."_

Honoka's mind flashed through her entire life. Ever since the moment she was born, she could scarcely remember a time where Umi and Kotori weren't at her side. Remembering everything they've been through together, Honoka could say without a doubt that she would not ever want to be without the two of them. This thought brought a wistful smile onto her face.

_"Yeah, I do love them. Both of them. But...now I have to choose between them? That's just not fair. I wish we could have just gone on the way we have been up until now."_

These worries persisted throughout the school day, and she was still conflicted when she went up to their spot on the rooftop for lunch. Her two childhood friends were already there waiting for her, and they both rushed up to her when they saw her.

Kotori didn't hesitate to give her a kiss on the cheek, and ushered her over to their usual spot to sit down. Umi, wanting to stay one step ahead of Kotori, went against her natural instincts and picked up a part of her lunch with her chopsticks, holding it up for Honoka. Cheeks ablaze, she couldn't stop her fingers from shaking.

"O-open wide Honoka."

Laughing nervously, Honoka had no choice but to comply, and she allowed Umi to feed her. Kotori was pouting as she fed Honoka, up until when Umi used the same chopsticks to grab some of her food for herself. Not being able to hold herself back, Kotori let out a loud shriek.

"I-i-i-indirect...kiss..."

Honoka and Umi's faces both flushed red at the implication, and Kotori was quick to react. Grabbing some food from her own lunch, she held it up for Honoka as well.

"M-me too Honoka-chan! Say ah~"

All Honoka could do was give off another nervous laugh.

**_ After school... _ **

Yukiho looked over as she heard the front door open.

"I'm home..."

Honoka trudged through the doorway...

"Welcome ba-"

Only for her to collapse right in front of the door.

"O-onee-chan!?"

Making her way around the couner, Yukiho hurried to her sister.

"Wh-what happened to you!?"

Honoka slowly lifter her head to look at Yukiho.

"Umi-chan and Kotori-chan..."

"Huh?"

And so, Honoka proceeded to tell her little sister of the days' events, and how confused she was about all of it.

"Ah! I don't know what to do in this kind of situation!"

Yukiho too, was unsure of what advice to give, as she too had never imagined her sister would be in this position.

"Hm...well, who do you like more?"

Shocked to hear such a thing, Honoka looked at Yukiho as if she had betrayed her.

"How could you say that Yukiho!? I don't like either of them more than the other! I love them both with all my heart!"

Yukiho sweat dropped at Honoka's intensity.

"W-well then...why not just date them both?"

"Date them both..."

Honoka's mind flashed back to a similar situation years ago, when they were still in high school, whereupon Kotori had asked which of the two of them Honoka liked more. Honoka had simply flashed them a smile and proclaimed that she loved them both equally. A smile now on her face, Honoka shot up off the ground, startling Yukiho.

"Yes! That's it! You're a genius Yukiho!"

**_ The next day... _ **

Kotori and Umi entered into the bakery, hoping to be able to win Honoka's heart. But when they entered, they saw Yukiho about to leave for school herself.

"Oh! Onee-chan already left. She wanted me to tell you two that she'd be waiting on the roof."

Confused, they thanked Yukiho for passing on the message and headed to school. On the way, Kotori turned to Umi and broke the silence.

"So...what do you think Honoka-chan wants to talk about."

"Hm...my guess, she's made her choice."

Not knowing how to respond to that, they stayed silent for the rest of the way. Once they got to school, they hesitated a bit before moving onto the roof.

Waiting there for them was Honoka, and she smiled radiantly at them.

"Umi-chan! Kotori-chan! You're here!"

Umi nodded, and while she seemed composed as ever, she was fidgeting slightly, as was Kotori.

"Yes, so what is it that you wanted from us Honoka?"

"Have you picked one of us yet Honoka-chan!?"

In their apprehension, Kotori and Umi waited, feeling like hours had passed before Honoka finally gave her answer.

"Mmhmm! I've decided that I can't decide between you two!"

Both of Honoka's childhood friends were noticeably confused.

"...huh?"

Honoka's smile turned into a more gentle one as she thought over what she was trying to say.

"What I mean is, I love the both of you far too much to ever decide between you two. I really really really love you both! So that's my answer. I can't ever imagine a world where both of you aren't at my side. So even though I know it's selfish, please, both of you stay with me, forever."

Kotori and Umi looked at each other, and smiled.

"Well, that's just like Honoka I suppose."

"Mmhmm, Honoka-chan is always like this."

Turning back to Honoka, they both reached their arms out. Honoka got the message and beamed. She tackled the two of them and accepted their hugs.

"The 3 of us have always been together, and I don't want that to change. Let's always be together. Just the 3 of us. You two are more important to me than anything!"

Umi sighed through her smile.

"Well, someone has to keep you in check. And I wouldn't want it to be anyone else."

Kotori nodded.

"That's right, I'll always be there at your side Honoka-chan. No matter what."

They stood there for quite a while, before Umi finally attempted to get out of the hug.

"Well, we should probably be getting to class now."

Honoka shook her head, her grip tightening.

"Just a little longer."

Kotori giggled, and she locked eyes with Umi. They both smiled at one another. Well, they never could really ever say no to Honoka.


	15. Blueberry♥Train (HonoKoto)

**_ Otonokizaka Academy Courtyard _ **

"Hey, hey! It's your birthday tomorrow isn't it Kotori-chan?"

The second-year trio was spending their lunch in the courtyard when Honoka suddenly brought up the topic of Kotori's upcoming birthday. Taking a second to think over it, a look of realization crossed Kotori's face.

"Ah! It is! I completely forgot about it!"

Honoka giggled while Umi looked at her in disbelief, shaking her head.

"You've been spending too much time around Honoka."

Shocked, Honoka turned to face Umi, pouting.

"That's so mean Umi-chan!

With that, Honoka and Umi went into another one of their usual arguments. Tuning them out, Kotori went back to eating her lunch, until Honoka's face appeared abruptly in front of her own, frightening Kotori.

"Eep!"

Not seeming to notice how startled she was, Honoka moved her face closer, causing Kotori to blush.

"So anyways Kotori-chan, what do you want for your birthday? Just tell me and I'll get it for you. Anything you want!"

Kotori put a hand on her chin, as if thinking.

"Really? Anything?"

Honoka nodded enthusiastically.

"Anything!"

Kotori grinned.

"Alright then. Go out on a date with me Honoka-chan!"

Both Umi and Honoka, not expecting the reply, were surprised.

"S-shameless! How could you say something like that Kotori!?"

Honoka, despite being flustered, felt a feeling of conviction come over her, and entered into her 'faito dayo' pose.

"O-okay Kotori-chan! I'll go out on a date with you! I'll give you the best date ever!"

Smiling, Kotori clasped her hands together in happiness.

"Great! I'll leave it to you then Honoka-chan!"

Umi just sat there, sighing to herself. Nothing she could do to dissuade them at this point.

**_ Homura Bakery the next morning... _ **

"...ne...an"

_"Hm? What's that sound? And why does it feel like something's tugging on me?"_

"...chan"

_"That sounds kind of like Yukiho."_

Groggily opening her eyes, Honoka saw that it was indeed Yukiho, and she was the one shaking her awake.

"Onee-chan! Finally, I thought you were gonna stay asleep forever!"

Trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, Honoka proceeded to stretch her arms out, yawning.

"What are you doing in my room Yukiho?"

Exasperated, Yukiho put her hands on her hips.

"Geez, don't you remember? You were the one that told me to make sure to wake you up early today."

"Eh?"

Trying to remember why she would request such a thing, it took a moment for it to hit Honoka.

"Ahhhhh! That's right! I have a date with Kotori-chan today!"

Scrambling out of bed, Honoka rushed to get ready, going through the motions of her morning routine as quickly as possible. Running down the stairs, Honoka made her way to the door, and rushed to put on her shoes. In her hurry, she lost her balance and fell down on her side, making a loud 'thud'. Coming over to check out what the commotion was, Honoka's mother saw her daughter laying on the floor.

"Honoka dear, what are you doing down there?"

Immediately picking herself up, Honoka opened the door.

"I have a date with Kotori-chan and I'm going to be late!"

Seeing her daughter rush out of the house, Honoka's mom called out after her.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast first?"

"I don't have time for breakfast!"

Honoka's mother stood there at the doorway, surprised, but with a smile on her face.

"Honoka's skipping breakfast? Well, I suppose it is for Kotori-chan after all."

As for Honoka, she was still dashing towards the train station, trying her best to hurry her body along faster than it was going.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late! It's my first date with Kotori-chan too! Ah, please let the train be a little late."

As Honoka was racing to the train station, Kotori was already there, waiting for her.

"Honoka-chan is late."

Having somewhat expected this, Kotori dug a hand mirror out of her purse, and started to inspect her appearance for her date. Looking herself over, she was able to admit to herself that she looked pretty cute. But still, something felt kind of...off.

"Hm...maybe it's the ribbon?"

As she was contemplating this, Kotori suddenly heard her name being called out.

"Kotori-chan!"

Turning to face the direction of the voice, Kotori's face brightened up when she saw Honoka running up to her.

"Honoka-chan!"

Once in front of her dear childhood friend, Honoka stopped to gasp for breath, with tears pricking at her eyes.

"S...sorry Kotori-chan. I...I'm so unreliable that I was even late to our first date."

Before Honoka could sink any further into self deprecation, Kotori lifted her chin so she could look her in the eyes.

"Don't be sorry Honoka-chan. You weren't late by too long, and I'm just glad you're here. Any time I get to spend with you at all is worth the wait."

Tears threatening to come out, being comforted by Kotori was too much for Honoka, and she threw herself into Kotori's arms.

"You're too good for me Kotori-chan!"

Taking her time, Kotori enjoyed the warmth of Honoka's hug, that is until she saw the train arriving.

"Let's go Honoka-chan. This day is going to be so much fun, I can't wait!"

With a smile back on her face, Honoka nodded, and pulled Kotori along inside the seats for the two of them, Honoka turned to face Kotori.

"Oh yeah! I forgot to say it! Happy birthday Kotori-chan! You look so beautiful today!"

Hearing Honoka's praise, Kotori blushed, and a huge grin grew onto her face.

"Yeah, thanks Honoka-chan!"

Before they knew it, the train had already arrived at their destination, and they got off. Kotori turned to Honoka.

"So Honoka-chan, where to?

Energetic smile on her face, Honoka was brimming with enthusiasm.

"You're going to love this Kotori-chan!"

With those words, Honoka dashed off, dragging Kotori with her. Trying to keep up with Honoka's boundless energy, Kotori took in her surroundings once they stopped.

"This is...the movie theater?"

"Mmhmm! I know you've been really wanting to see that new romcom movie, so here we are!"

_"Honoka-chan is so thoughtful."_

Giggling to herself, she followed Honoka as she walked up to the ticket counter. However, she was broken out of her thoughts by Honoka's voice.

"Eh!? The tickets are sold out!?"

"Eh?"

Kotori looked over to Honoka to confirm whether this was the case, and was dismayed to see that Honoka's own expression of consternation. More than being disappointed about the movie however, she hated seeing Honoka look so sad. And so, she stepped forward, and pointed towards the poster for a horror film.

"In that case, we'll take two tickets for that one please."

This utterly surprised Honoka, and she stared at Kotori, stunned. Taking their tickets, Kotori pulled Honoka along into the theater as they took their seats. As they waited for the movie to start, Honoka fidgeted.

"I-I'm sorry Kotori-chan. I should have booked the tickets earlier."

Kotori shook her head, characteristic gentle smile on her face.

"Don't worry about it Honoka-chan. Horror movies have their own charm as well."

"Huh?"

Honoka was confused about what was so great about horror movies, but before she could question it, the movie started. Keeping her focus on the movie, the first scary scene of the movie came on, and Honoka was startled when Kotori screamed out in terror. Turning to ask Kotori if she was ok, she found Kotori jumping into her lap, her body pushing up against her own. Not being able to withstand the...intimate contact, Honoka flushed red.

"K-Kotori-chan..."

For the remaining duration of the movie, Kotori clung tightly to Honoka, and didn't let go. By the time the movie ended, they exited the theater with steam coming out of Honoka's head, having hit her limit, and with Kotori wearing a satisfying smile.

"So, where to next Honoka-chan?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Honoka gathered her composure.

"Right! You're going to love our next destination for sure Kotori-chan!"

Dragging her away to their next destination, Kotori was just happy to be holding onto Honoka's hand the entire time. Once they got to their destination however, she noticed Honoka once more becoming dismayed. Taking a look at what had Honoka so miserable, Kotori's jaw nearly dropped.

"That's...a really long line. What's it for?"

At this point Honoka was sulking at how the universe seemed to be against her today, and dropped to her knees.

"It's where I was supposed to get you some amazing blueberry cheesecake. They were having a huge sale today so I thought I'd be able to get you as much as you wanted, but I didn't think about how other people might want some too."

Kotori almost drooled at the thought of all that cheesecake, but waved the thought away. She had more important things to worry about right now. Like how Honoka seemed to be about to cry. Kotori offered Honoka a hand.

"Well then, why don't we just wait for the line to become smaller? We could hit up the arcade while we wait."

Noticing how Kotori was trying to make the best of their situation, Honoka gathered up her resolve, and took Kotori's hand. Making their way to the arcade, they had lots of fun playing around in the various games the arcade had to offer. Eventually, they happened upon a crane machine.

"Kotori-chan, Kotori-chan! I'll win you something!"

Putting in some credits, Honoka focused, and tried grasping at one of the stuffed animals, a little bird, but it slipped out of her grasp.

"Ah!"

Rather than just standing there, Kotori decided to cheer her on.

"Don't give up Honoka-chan! You can do it!"

Reinvigorated by Kotori's support, Honoka tried again...and again...and again. No matter how many times she tried, it seemed she just could not successfully win. Seeing how late it was getting, Kotori decided they should probably be on their way.

"It's getting late Honoka-chan, maybe the line is gone by now."

Dejected that she couldn't win anything for Kotori, Honoka trudged along as she followed her best friend. Arriving at the shop where the long line of people had previously been, Kotori was happy to see that it was gone.

"Honoka-chan, look! The line isn't there anymore! Let's go get some cheesecake!"

Honoka cheered up a bit as it seemed like something was finally going her way today. That is, until...

"I'm sorry, but we've completely sold out already. There was a lot more customers today than we could have anticipated."

"Ah, I see."

Upset at all that cheesecake being taken away from her, Kotori frowned.

"Well, that's too bad huh Honoka-chan?"

Turning to face her childhood friend, Kotori froze as she saw tears now freely flowing down Honoka's face.

"H-Honoka-chan!"

Not knowing what to do, and panicking, Kotori did the first thing she could think of, and drew Honoka into her embrace, trying to soothe her with pats on the back. Despite this however, it didn't seem to alleviate Honoka's mood at all, as she started sobbing.

"Kotori-chan...I'm so sorry! This was...it was supposed to be your birthday, and I screwed it all up! I messed up being able to let you see that movie you wanted, and I couldn't get any cheesecake for you either. I couldn't even win you anything at the arcade! I'm sorry Kotori-chan! This must be the worst birthday ever!"

Now understanding what had Honoka so upset, Kotori sighed in exasperation.

"Geez Honoka-chan."

Stopping her ministrations, Kotori crashed her lips onto Honoka's. Caught completely off guard, Honoka's eyes widened as she stood there in a daze. As Kotori drew back, she made sure to look Honoka right in the eyes.

"You have it all wrong Honoka-chan. Today wasn't bad at all. It was fun! In fact, I might even say it was the best birthday ever! I don't care that I didn't get to see that movie I wanted. I got to have fun with you watching a different movie. I don't care that we couldn't get any cheesecake, because it's just so heartwarming to me that you tried. And I don't care if you didn't win me anything Honoka-chan. I had a lot of fun playing all those games with you. I didn't want any of those things for my birthday. The only present I wanted was to be able to spend time with you. And I did. So you see, this day, wasn't a failure at all. It was the best birthday you could have given me."

Realizing just what it was that Kotori wanted, and realizing how much fun she had had today, Honoka realized that she had been going about today all wrong. Wiping away her tears, she smiled.

"Yeah, you're right Kotori-chan! Me too! I had a lot of fun on our date today! And I promise, I'll always be here for you!"

Kotori smiled that soft smile of hers.

"I'm glad."

Honoka took Kotori's hands in her own.

"Let's go Kotori-chan! The day isn't over yet! We can go back to my house and I'll make you that cheesecake myself! And you can even sleepover afterwards!"

Kotori grinned at how fired up Honoka was, and nodded.

"Mmph!"

And so, the two headed off, towards their blueberry train.


	16. NO EXIT ORION (HonoPana)

**_ Hanayo's house _ **

"Honoka-chan is late..."

Hanayo had been waiting for Honoka to come pick her up for their date, but as has become far too common an occurence, Honoka was a bit overdue for her appearance.

_"She's always like this. And the reason she's late is always the same..."_

Just as Hanayo was thinking this, she heard the ring of her doorbell.

"That's probably her."

Getting up to go open the door, the sight that greeted Hanayo was indeed the face of Honoka, hand behind her head as she laughed nervously. As could be seen on Hanayo's face, she was not amused.

"Sorry Kayo-chan, but I got confused. I thought it was Kotori-chan that I made plans with for today."

And there it was. The same excuse as always. Honoka tended to always forget or mistake their dates for the days she was hanging out with either Kotori and/or Umi. Hanayo bit her bottom lip in frustration.

"Honoka-chan..."

Realizing the danger she was in, Honoka panicked, and did the first thing that came to mind. She grabbed Hanayo by her hand and started dragging her to the location of their date.

"Let's go Kayo-chan! I'll make it up to you!"

Looking down at their interlocked fingers, and feeling the touch of Honoka's hand in her own, Hanayo's anger faded, albeit not completely, as she went along with Honoka.

**_ Shohei Bridge the next night... _ **

Hanayo stood underneath the moonlit sky, waiting for Honoka. She had decided, she was finally going to confront Honoka. She had had enough of being in second place. She wanted to be the single most important thing in Honoka's life.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Hanayo turned around, and came face to face with Honoka.

"Honoka-chan..."

Noticing how serious Hanayo looked, Honoka sported a worried look herself.

"Kayo-chan...I got your message. What is it that you needed to talk about so suddenly?"

"Honoka-chan...what am I to you?"

Confused and worried, Honoka stepped a bit closer to Hanayo.

"Huh? What do you mean Kayo-chan? You're my girlfriend."

Hanayo clenched her fists at this.

"Am I!?"

Honoka was taken aback by Hanayo's outburst, not expecting it at all.

"What are you talking about Kayo-chan? What's going on?"

"I'm talking about how you always prioritize Umi-chan and Kotori-chan over me!"

Not being able to hold back anymore, tears started rolling down Hanayo's face. Honoka, not having seen this coming, had no idea what to do.

"Kayo-chan..."

"Whenever we make plans to go on a date, you always mistake those for your usual hangouts with those two! And whenever something comes up with them, you always forget we even made plans! I...I know that they're your childhood friends, I know that I might not be able to match up to those two, and I know that I'm being really selfish about this...but I want to be the only person you think about Honoka-chan!"

Not being able to stand seeing Hanayo like this, Honoka could do nothing but embrace her, her own face starting to become stained with tears.

"I'm sorry Kayo-chan. Really, I am. I didn't even realize I was neglecting you. But I promise! From now on, I'll always place you first. I love you Kayo-chan, and I'm going to start proving it. You're wonderful, and I've been taking you for granted. I really am the worst aren't I?"

Hanayo, face buried into Honoka's back, shook her head.

"No. You're great Honoka-chan. You're just...a bit neglectful."

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

They spent a long time wrapped in each other's warmth, simply standing there, comforting each other under this night sky, just the two of them.

**_ A week later... _ **

"See you later Umi-chan! Kotori-chan!"

Honoka waved goodbye as she was about to part with her two childhood friends. The two waved back, despite feeling that it was weird for Honoka to not be accompanying them.

"Honoka, are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

Honoka nodded in her usual energetic way.

"I already made plans with Kayo-chan."

With that, Honoka took off.

"Bye Honoka-chan! Have fun with Kayo-chan!"

Kotori and Umi smiled as they watched Honoka run off, towards her star.


	17. Angelic Angel (HonoEli)

**_ Otonokizaka - Student Council Room _ **

The school's student council president, Ayase Eli, was finishing up her duties as the student council president, despite it being a saturday, when the door burst open, causing her to look up in surprise.

"Elicchi!"

Seeing that it was Nozomi, she simply went back to work. This didn't go unnoticed by Nozomi.

"Urk! No reaction huh?"

Eli sighed.

"Let me guess, you have another date with Nico?"

Nozomi, as spiritual as she was, was taken aback by this.

"Ack! How did you know?"

Eli sighed again, before smiling.

"I'd like to think I know you pretty well by now Nozomi. Don't worry about it, I'll take care of your portion of the work. You go and have fun."

Nozomi beamed, and went to hug her best friend.

"You're the best Elicchi! I promise I'll make it up to you sometime ok? Have a nice weekend!"

With that said, Nozomi proceeded to skip away in search of her date.

Eli went back to her work, as if the interruption had never happened. Normally, Nozomi was a great vice-president, and did her share of the work, but on occasion, she would, as she put it, 'have her love for Nicocchi grow too strong to resist', and would take her out on a date, pushing her part of the student council work onto Eli. Though rare, it had happened a few times, seemingly even more so as of late, and by now, Eli was used to it.

Still, she couldn't help but let her gaze wander out the window as she saw Nozomi and Nico walking off together from the school, hand in hand. With one more sigh, Eli managed to draw her attention away from the window, and focus back on her work.

She managed to finish it as the sun was starting to set, and stretched, before packing up her things and heading home. At this time of day, there was scarcely anyone left in the school, and so, Eli continued on home in silence.

Reaching her house, she opened the door, and was greeted by her little sister's smiling visage.

"Onee-chan! Welcome back!"

Returning her smile, Eli leaned down to pat her on the head.

"I'm back, Alisa."

"We were waiting for you before we started dinner!"

"Did you now? Well, I am rather famished."

Following her sister to the dinner table, they, along with their parents and grandmother, had dinner, where they talked about a multitude of things, with Eli enjoying being able to spend time like this with her family. After having finished dinner, Eli took a bath, and then, heading into her room, flopped down onto her bed in a manner unbefitting the cool image of Eli.

Her mind going back to Nozomi and Nico, Eli sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

Despite how popular she was due to her cool image and her natural beauty, Eli didn't have very many friends due to the fact that she was actually rather shy when dealing with strangers. Really, Nozomi and Nico were practically her only friends. And as the two of them were dating, Eli very often felt like a third wheel, which usually left her feeling rather lonely.

With these thoughts floating around in her mind, Eli gave one final sigh, before drifting off to sleep.

When Eli opened her eyes once more, she took in her surroundings, or lack thereof. It was just a blank white space, all around her. It looked strange, and she felt just as strange. Not groggy at all, as one would usually expect when they awoke. It was as if she was detached from reality. If she were to describe it, she would say that it felt like she was...floating.

"Well, that's because you're dreaming silly."

Not expecting to find anyone else in this blank space, Eli turned to the direction of the voice.

Floating in front of her was a girl who seemed to be around her age, wearing a frilly white sundress. A girl with wings. But rather than paying attention to the extra appendages, Eli couldn't stop her eyes from wandering to the rest of the girl. Her glimmering orange hair, tied in a unique side ponytail. Her bright blue eyes that seemed to be shimmering with excitement. And above all else, that radiant smile, that seemed to Eli it alone could fix everything wrong with the world.

Realizing she was staring at the beauty in front of her, Eli blushed, although she still couldn't find it in her to look away, as mesmerized as she was by the sight. Luckily, the girl spoke up before things could get much more embarrassing.

"It's great to be able to finally meet you Ayase Eli-san. I'm Kousaka Honoka, and I'm your guardian angel."

Eli was at a loss for words, simply staring at the beautiful angel, because as outrageous as the idea was, Eli thought that the girl really was beautiful enough to be one. The angel, in return, only maintained her dazzling smile as she stared at Eli in silence, before Eli decided she should finally say something.

"Guardian...angel?"

Honoka nodded.

"Yep! I know it might seem pretty crazy, but every person has their own guardian angel to watch over them. Normally, it's forbidden for us to directly interact with the person we watch over, but I just couldn't help it. I've seen you look so lonely lately, and well, the day after tomorrow is your birthday after all. I just wanted to do something for you. So, that's why I'm here. I'm going to grant you one birthday wish!"

Eli, still not really wrapping her head around this, could only repeat after the angel.

"A wish?"

"That's right! I'll grant you any one wish you want as long as it's in my power!"

Taking the time to mull this over, Eli thought over it. But it seemed like nothing could come to her mind at all.

"Um...I'm sorry to have made you go out of your way like this, Honoka-san. It's true that I've been feeling lonely, especially recently, but even so, I'm rather content with my life and can't think of anything to wish for."

Despite the humble nature of this problem, Eli somehow managed to feel guilty about not having anything to wish for when she saw Honoka's face shift into a dejected look.

"Really? Nothing?"

Eli nodded.

"Yes, I'm really sorry."

Honoka started rubbing the back of her head in a nervous manner.

"Aw, you don't have to be sorry. It just shows how kind a person you are, Eli-san. But I really wanted to do something for your birthday."

Despite Honoka's assurance, Eli still felt bad about it, and looked down at the seemingly non-existent ground as Honoka pondered over what to do.

"Hm...oh well! I guess I'll just have to stick around with you for the day until you can think of one!"

Eli looked up in surprise.

"Huh?"

With a new look of firm resolve on her face, Honoka smiled, and waved as she sent her off.

"Well, I'll see you again when you wake up then, Eli-san."

Still failing to completely comprehend the situation, Eli tried to reach out to the angel, but before she could, everything started to fade away.

When she next opened her eyes, Eli sat up as the dream sequence came back to her, not quite believing any of that could have happened.

"Right, it was just a dream after all. I shouldn't start getting hung up on that."

And just as she was about to get up...

"Good morning, Eli-san!"

Taken aback by the sudden voice, Eli stumbled back onto her bed as she came face to face with the literal girl of her dreams.

"A-ah! Honoka-san!"

Honoka simply smiled in response.

"Yep! Here to grant you your wish whenever you can think of one."

"Ah...but won't an angel like you draw a bit of attention?"

"No need to worry about that! The only one that can see a guardian angel is the person they're protecting."

"I see. Well, I'm not sure I'll be able to come up with a wish, but thank you for watching over me, Honoka-san."

For some reason, Honoka seemed dissatisfied about something, and Eli was afraid she had offended her.

"W-what's wrong, Honoka-san? Was it something I said?"

Honoka put her hand on her chin.

"Well, I was just thinking. If I'm going to be watching over you all day, then we should address each other more casually. How about it, Eli-chan?"

Embarrassed at the prospect of addressing such a beautiful woman so informally, Eli blushed, but seeing Honoka's eager eyes on her, thought it would be wrong not to oblige.

"V-very well then...Honoka."

Honoka broke out into a large grin, and Eli breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's more like it! So what were you planning on doing today, Eli-chan?"

"Ah, well, I didn't really have any plans for today. But I thought maybe I could go shopping."

At hearing this, Honoka's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ooh! That's a great idea! I'd love to go shopping with you, Eli-chan!"

Eli, now also getting excited, went through her morning routine and got ready to hang out with Honoka for the day. This excitement did not go unnoticed by her little sister as they sat at the breakfast table.

"Onee-chan? Is something going on today? You seem really happy."

Not realizing that she had been so obvious, Eli started choking on her food. Alisa immediately stood up at this.

"Ah! Onee-chan!?"

Patting at her own chest to deal with it, Eli raised a hand to stop Alisa from panicking, before she properly swallowed her food.

"Don't worry Alisa, I was just surprised is all. To answer your question, I suppose you could say...that I am rather excited."

Calming down at seeing that her sister was ok, Alisa sat back down.

"Oh, ok. Are you going out with a friend today, Onee-chan?"

Eli turned to look at Honoka beside her, who was simply looking at her with that smile of hers that always seemed to cause Eli to blush.

"A friend huh? Yeah, I guess I am."

Honoka, hearing this, went right ahead and hugged Eli.

"Aw~ I'm so happy to hear you say that we're already friends, Eli-chan!"

Not knowing how to react to this, Eli just sat there as she blushed, making Alisa tilt her head in confusion.

"Onee-chan?"

"I-it's nothing! I'm done with breakfast now."

Quickly getting up, Eli rushed her plate to the kitchen sink, where she quickly washed the dishes before dashing up to her room to get changed. Noticing Honoka was still watching her, she shyly turned around.

"Um...could you excuse me for a second while I change, Honoka?"

Realizing that Eli was about to undress herself, Honoka blushed for the first time since Eli met her, and it just made her all the more embarrassed.

"R-right! Sorry about that! I'll just...let you get changed then."

Honoka exited the room. Eli was still feeling a little bit embarrassed, but managed to pick out her outfit for the day. Once finished changing, she yelled out for Honoka that she could come back in.

When she did, Honoka stopped and stared in amazement. Feeling the cute angel's eyes on her, Eli became a bit self-conscious. She had decided to go with an orange shirt along with a denim skirt with black stockings. The look completed with a light blue and yellow coat.

"Wow, Eli-chan! You look really stylish!"

Eli blushed at the praise.

"Y-you think so?"

"Yeah! You're really pretty, Eli-chan!"

Her face flushed even more, and now thoroughly self-conscious Eli dashed out of the room, and said goodbye to Alisa as she dashed out of the house, trying to get away from that feeling of embarrassment.

Once outside she started making her way to the train station, calming herself down from all that excitement. Although it was hard with someone as cute as Honoka walking beside her.

"So where to first, Eli-chan?"

"Hm...how about Harajuku? We could go clothes shopping."

And just as her blush had started to fade away, it came back in full flare at seeing Honoka's face brighten up as she clasped her hands together in excitement.

"That sounds great, Eli-chan! You're always such a cool and fashionable beauty, I've always wanted to be able to go clothes shopping with you!"

Despite being used to this sort of praise, it didn't stop Eli from getting flustered by it.

"M-me? A cool and fashionable beauty?"

Honoka nodded with enthusiasm.

"Yep! I can't wait to see what kind of outfits I'll get to see you in today!"

They kept chatting as they walked, with no real destination in mind. Although once they made it to Harajuku, they looked around some of the shops, and they inspected a few outfits here and there.

"Oh! This outfit would be perfect for you, Eli-chan!"

Looking over, Eli noticed Honoka pointing to a white shirt with frills at the end. Eli looked at it in contemplation.

"Hm...if I put that together with this, and this..."

Taking her selection of clothes with her, Eli went into the change room and tried them on in conjunction. Honoka simply floated around outside as she waited for Eli to finish. When she did come out, Honoka's eyes lit up in awe.

Eli's outfit consisted of the shirt that she picked out, along with a pair of gray shorts and a black mini vest.

"Wow, it's like you can wear anything, Eli-chan! I'm not anywhere near as fashionable as you are, and yet you managed to make something I picked out look so good!"

Once again taken aback at the praise Honoka so freely showered upon her, Eli started fidgeting nervously.

"You really think so?" Honoka nodded enthusiastically. "W-well then, I'll have to purchase it in that case."

The clothes weren't cheap, but Eli felt it would be more than worth it when she saw Honoka's look of wonder at seeing her in it.

Bringing it to the front desk, they waited while the cashier scanned their items. Letting her eyes wander, Eli took note of an orange hoodie, with cute little ears coming out the top. Turning to look over at Honoka, Eli imagined the angel wearing a cute thing like that, and the cuteness level of the imagery made her face flush red. Taken out of her thoughts by the cashier asking her if she wanted a receipt, Eli nodded, and then took her purchases and dashed out of the store.

_"Ah, what was I thinking? I mean, Honoka would look great in that, no doubt, but she's an angel. She probably couldn't wear it even if she wanted to."_

Something about that thought made Eli sad, though she didn't quite know what. Honoka, noticing that Eli seemed down, pointed towards a nearby attraction.

"Hey, Eli-chan! Let's go inside that maid cafe! I've never been inside one before!"

Shocked at the offer, Eli was a bit hesitant.

"D-do we have to? Wouldn't it be a bit embarrassing to go into a place like that?"

Honoka shook her head.

"Not at all! Why would it be embarrassing? Come on, Eli-chan! I want to go see what it's like!"

Looking into Honoka's eyes, shining in anticipation, Eli knew she couldn't say no, and gave out a sigh.

"Ok..."

They walked inside, albeit with reluctance on Eli's end, and were greeted by an employee in the customary manner of a maid cafe.

"Welcome back master, nico!"

Recognizing that unique style of speech, Eli stared at the maid. Said maid stood there in the same cute pose she had greeted them with, growing increasingly nervous as she recognized the woman in front of her.

"Nico...?"

"Ahhh!"

Freaking out, Nico quickly lead Eli to a table, and sat down in front of her, glaring.

"What are you doing here, Eli?"

Disconcerted by the intensity of her stare, Eli wasn't quite sure what to make of this situation.

"I could ask you the same thing really..."

Nico pulled at her hair in frustration.

"That's none of your business! I just needed the money and I wanted to try on these cute outfits, okay!?"

Eli sweatdropped at this.

"Right..."

"Agh! Whatever! Just give me your stupid order!"

Having come to expect this kind of behaviour from her friend, Eli smiled, but did as she was told and picked something out from the menu. Giving her order to the smaller girl, Nico harrumphed and stomped off.

Honoka floated down to where Nico had just been sitting.

"So that's Nico-chan huh? She's really cute!"

Eli giggled.

"Yes. Although that temper of hers can be a bit problematic at times."

Not long after, Nico came back with her food, before stomping off once more. Honoka stared at the food intently, not going unnoticed by Eli.

"Do you want some, Honoka?"

Blushing at the embarrassment of having been caught, Honoka waved her hands.

"N-not really! Besides, even if I did want to eat it, I'm an angel! We don't really eat food!"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Eli finished her food in silence, before getting up to pay the bill. Before leaving, Eli made sure to say goodbye to Nico, who reluctantly returned the farewell.

Leaving the maid cafe, Eli turned to Honoka.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting experience. Who would have ever thought that Nico would work in a place like that."

It was Honoka who giggled this time.

"Yeah, it was pretty funny seeing her reactions. I can see why you like to tease her from time to time. And see, what did I tell you? I just knew maid cafes were pretty interesting!"

Before she could answer, she bumped into someone, knocking them down.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!"

Offering the person a hand, Eli was surprised to see that she recognized her.

"Oh, it's no problem. I should have been more care- Elicchi?"

"Nozomi! What are you doing here?"

Picking herself up, pointed to the maid cafe they just came from.

"I'm just here to pick up Nicocchi!"

Eli was at a loss.

"Eh? So you knew she worked here?"

Nozomi put a finger to her chin as she noticed which direction Eli was coming from.

"Oh? I see, so you were just there huh?"

"Y-yeah. I just wanted to check out a maid cafe. I was pretty surprised when I saw her there."

Nozomi clasped her hands around Eli's.

"In that case! Why don't you come with us! We can both pick Nicocchi up and then we can all hang out together."

While she normally would have taken up the offer despite how much of a third wheel it would have made her feel like, that wasn't the case today. Eli turned to look at Honoka, and smiled, before turning back to Nozomi.

"Sorry, Nozomi. But I have something else to do today."

Nozomi, befuddled, nodded in understanding before letting go.

"Well, then I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, Elicchi!"

Eli waved goodbye as Nozomi ran off. She then turned to Honoka.

"Well then, let's continue shopping, shall we?"

Honoka nodded, although with a confused look on her face.

"You didn't want to spend time with your friends?"

Not expecting the question, Eli blushed as she scratched at her cheek.

"W-well, it's not that I don't want to spend time with them. It's just...I want to spend more time with you."

Hearing this, Honoka giggled.

"I want to spend time with you too, Eli-chan!"

And so, the two of them spent the rest of the day shopping around, looking at cute clothes, smiling and laughing with each other. But eventually, it all had to come to an end, and Eli noticed how late it was getting. Deciding to end the day with a nice view, Eli brought Honoka to Shohei Bridge, to watch the sunset.

As they relaxed and stared at the view of the setting sun, Eli knew that the day was coming to an end, and she had been dreading it. Honoka too seemed to realize this, and decided she had given Eli enough time.

"Well, Eli-chan? Have you thought up a wish yet?"

Eli clutched at her chest. She didn't want this day to end. She didn't want Honoka to leave her alone. Even in just this short day alone, Eli had made so many good memories, and now that she experienced life with Honoka, she didn't want to go back to a life without her.

"I...I want to be able to talk to you, Honoka. I want to be able to talk to you, to hold your hand, to have sleepovers, to be able to do things that any normal friends would be able to do with each other. I don't want to go back to you just watching over me. I want you to stay around and be my friend. That...is my wish."

Eli's heart dropped as she saw Honoka's melancholic smile.

"Eli-chan...I'm an angel."

Eli looked down, trying to stop herself from crying.

"I know..."

Honoka couldn't stand seeing Eli look so down, and so she decided to float down to look Eli in the eyes.

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

Trying not to get her hopes up, Eli looked up, but by the time she did, Honoka had already disappeared. Heart half full of hope, and half full of despair, Eli decided to head home. When Alisa asked if she wanted dinner, she just shook her head and went straight to bed, too anxious to do anything else.

_"I really hope I can see her again...Honoka..."_

And so, she drifted off to sleep.

**_ The next day... _ **

When Eli woke up, she didn't quite feel like getting out of bed. The memories from the day before came rushing back to her, and she still wasn't sure whether to feel depressed or hopeful. But regardless, she was the student council president, and still had to set an example for her fellow students.

And so, she forced herself through her morning routine, and said goodbye to her family as she trudged towards the school. Once she got into class, she sat down in her desk, and in an act completely out of character for Eli, laid her head on the desk. She didn't raise her head even when Nozomi squatted down to face her.

"What's the matter, Elicchi? It's your birthday, you shouldn't look so down."

Eli only sighed in reply. Seeing that she was getting nowhere, Nozomi stood up, and turned to go back to her seat.

"Well, I hope you feel better, Elicchi. Happy birthday!"

Eli sighed for the umpteenth time, and stayed that way even after the teacher came in, which was quite unusual for honor student Eli.

"Everyone, we have a new student joining us today."

At learning that they had a new student, Eli finally decided to look up, and what she saw shocked her enough to stand up in her seat.

"Honoka!?"

Honoka stood there, without her wings or halo, in the Otonokizaka uniform, which Eli had to admit, looked really good on her. Unperturbed by Eli's outburst, Honpoka only smiled that same radiant smile she had when they met.

"Happy birthday, Eli-chan!"


	18. Hello, Hoshi o Kazoete (HonoRin)

**_ Otonokizaka High School _ **

Decorations were up, snacks were being eaten, drinks were being consumed, costumes could be found all around, and there was dancing to the beat of the music all throughout the halls. The Halloween party being thrown by the members of µ's was in full swing.

Students ran rampant around the school, enjoying themselves as the festive day played out, and Rin was no exception to this, as she energetically ran through the school's hallways with her girlfriend. Honoka had been greeting nearly everyone they came across, and Rin had to admit that she was a little jealous, not wanting to share Honoka's attention with all these other people.

But regardless, Honoka was having fun, and had a huge smile on her face. Seeing that smile, Rin too was happy, and greeted these people she didn't know with just as much enthusiasm.

Together, the two of them enjoyed Halloween to the fullest, but eventually, all the other students had to head home, and the only ones left in the end were the girls of µ's.

It had been Honoka's idea. Because Halloween and Rin's birthday were back to back, she said that it would be a good idea to have a sleepover at the school so they could celebrate both, and the others all agreed that it sounded fun, and so, Kotori got permission from her mother.

With all the other students gone, the girls started to set up their futons in the club room. Once done, Honoka and Rin did not hesitate to jump on them and start rolling around. Rolling around, they started getting dizzy, and Honoka slowed down, causing Rin to bump into her. Gathering her bearings, Honoka giggled, while Rin blushed at how close their faces were.

Honoka seemed to notice this as well, as she moved in, and pecked Rin on the lips, before pulling pack. Enjoying the warm feeling of Honoka's lips on her own, and not wanting it to end, Rin pulled Honoka in and locked their lips once more, with more intensity this time around.

Lost in the feel of the other, they continued making out there on the futons until someone cleared their throat rather loudly. Separating, they looked up to see the beet red face of Umi.

"If you two don't mind, the rest of us would prefer that you don't do something so s-shameless, right in front of us like this!"

Honoka scratched the back of her head while giving off a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry about that, Umi-chan."

The door to the room slammed open, and they turned their heads to look at Nico, dressed in her apron.

"Dinner's ready!"

Hearing this, it was surprisingly, and yet maybe not so surprisingly, Hanayo who made the first dash towards the home ec classroom. Knowing her rice was waiting for her, she wasn't about to let anything get in between them.

"Hey! Save some for us-nya!"

Seeing Hanayo run after her rice with such ferocity, everyone else quickly followed in an attempt to stop her.

Despite these efforts, Hanayo made it first, and by the time Rin and Honoka got there, she had already gone through a helping of rice. They quickly acted and jumped on her before she could start her second. This was the sight that the other girls of µ's walked into. The two orange haired girls pinning Hanayo down as she struggled to get out of their grasp. Seeing this as an opportunity, Eli and Umi quickly took advantage of the situation and prepared a set amount of helpings for each one of them.

Once they did, they signaled to the two energetic members of the group that it was ok to let Hanayo up, and had everyone be seated. When Hanayo saw her own portion, she gasped in shock.

"S-so little rice!?"

Maki sighed, and glanced at her in her typical tsundere fashion.

"It's your own fault for trying to start without us."

Sulking, Hanayo ate slower and more disheartened than she usually would. Though no one paid this any mind as they carried on with their own dinner, chatting and having fun. Even Hanayo eventually joined in with the happy atmosphere once she stopped sulking.

When they were all finished eating, and cleaning up their plates as well, they headed back to the club room, changed into their pajamas, and went through their nightly routines.

Having already decided that their sleeping formations would be in their respective trios, Rin pouted as she watched Honoka settle in between Kotori and Umi.

"You two better not think you can seduce Honoka-chan just because you're sleeping next to her! I'll know-nya!"

The both of them turned bright red at this accusation, and Umi shouted out in outrage.

"W-what are you talking about!? I would never do something so shameless!"

"Yeah, that's right Rin-chan! If I were to seduce Honoka-chan, I wouldn't hide it from you!"

Everyone stopped and turned their heads to stare at Kotori, who realized what she just said and with an 'eep', ducked under her covers. Composing herself, Umi cleared her throat.

"Right, well anyway. I would never do something like that, so you have nothing to worry about."

Rin narrowed her eyes in distrust.

"You say that-nya, but you're always so clingy with Honoka-chan, and Kotori-chan is always doting on her."

At this, Kotori peeked her head out of the covers.

"Don't you think you're being a little paranoid, Rin-chan?"

In the middle of all this confusion, Honoka screamed out as she felt hands coming into contact with her chest.

"Well if those two aren't allowed, does it mean I can seduce Honoka-chan?"

A pillow came into contact with Nozomi's smirking visage, knocking her off of Honoka, and she was dragged away by Eli. Umi smiled gratefully at the other two members of the third year trio, who gave her a thumbs up in return. Having that dealt with, Honoka crawled over to Rin, and hugged her.

"Don't worry, Rin-chan. I promise no one is going to take me away from you."

Being assured by Honoka herself, Rin smiled and allowed herself to be taken in by Honoka's warmth.

"But make sure you don't get seduced by Kayo-chan ok? She's always sticking so close to you."

Pulling back at the shock of hearing this, Rin saw Honoka glaring at poor Hanayo, and couldn't help but giggle.

"I promise I won't be taken away from you either, Honoka-chan."

Honoka smiled, and with a final kiss goodnight, the two parted, and went into their respective futons. Maki turned off the lights, and everyone fell asleep.

Rin too, fell asleep. That is, until she was woken up by something repeatedly poking her in the stomach. Groggily sitting up, Rin tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes, and saw Honoka smiling at her. At seeing that she had successfully woken up her girlfriend, Honoka put her finger up to her mouth in a 'shush' motion, and whispered in a quiet voice.

"Follow me."

Following the excited second year, Rin was confused when Honoka handed her shoes to her, and lead them outside. Still in their pajamas no less.

"Where are we going, Honoka-chan?"

Honoka giggled as she skipped merrily along, before turning around to face the first year.

"Happy birthday, Rin-chan!"

Before she could express her surprise, Honoka pecked her on the lips.

"Everyone's celebrating your birthday together tomorrow, so I wanted to celebrate with just the two of us."

Touched by Honoka's thoughtfulness, Rin couldn't hold back her adoration, and drew Honoka into a hug.

"Honoka-chan! You're the best girlfriend ever-nya!"

Not expecting this, Honoka blushed a little.

"Well? What do you want, Rin-chan? I'll get you anything you want for your birthday! We can go out into town right now and buy it!"

Rin pulled back and stared at Honoka's anticipating smile. Rin felt that being able to see that smile of Honoka's was already the greatest present she could have ever received. Whatever may happen in the future, Rin was certain that if she was together with Honoka, she would enjoy anything.

"Hm...then how about you count the stars with me? That would make for a perfect present."

Though not expecting to hear something so mundane, Honoka happily led them back up to the school's rooftop, where they stayed up all night, counting the stars together.


	19. Snow halation (HonoNozo)

**_ Kanda Shrine _ **

Nozomi Tojo hummed one of their old μ's songs to herself as she sweeped the shrine grounds, in a good mood and excited to finish up and go home. Being a college student sure was different from back when she was a student at Otonokizaka. One difference was the larger workload. Although the primary difference was that she was now alone a majority of the time. Eli had moved back to Russia for her education, while Nico had become an idol and was usually too busy with tours to be around. The other girls of μ's still kept her company of course, but now that she was in university, it was hard to find time to hang out with them while they were still in high school.

Now that she was on winter break, Nozomi was excited to use the time to relax and enjoy her Christmas holiday with her friends. Having been notified by both Eli and Nico that they would be back for Christmas, Nozomi was excited to be able to see her two best friends once more.

Humming to herself as she finished sweeping, Nozomi heard someone call out her name and looked towards the stairs that lead up to the shrine.

"Nozomi-chan!"

Nozomi smiled as the grinning visage of Honoka came into view. Stopping just short of Nozomi, Honoka stopped, panting for breath.

"Honoka-chan! What brings you to the shrine today?"

Honoka maintained her grin as she looked up at Nozomi.

"I just wanted to see you Nozomi-chan! It's been too long."

Nozomi giggled at Honoka's silliness.

"Honoka-chan, we were just hanging out together last week."

Honoka nodded vigorously.

"Exactly! It's been way too long, Nozomi-chan!"

Nozomi's heart skipped a beat. Not quite understanding it, Nozomi simply gave Honoka her usual smile.

"Is that so? Well then, how about we walk home together?"

"Yeah! I'd like that, Nozomi-chan."

"Well then, wait for just a little bit. I'm almost done here."

Once Nozomi finished up sweeping, and got into more appropriate clothes for the chilly weather, they started making their way to Nozomi's place.

They walked together in silence, with the exception of Honoka humming as they walked, both content just being in the other's presence. But this calmness was eventually broken by Honoka.

"Hey, Nozomi-chan. What are you planning to do for Christmas?"

Nozomi looked over at Honoka, who was cutely tilting her head in curiosity.

"Well, Elicchi and Nicocchi are coming home for Christmas, so I was going to spend it with them."

Honoka's eyes lit up in excitement.

"They're coming back? Really!? That's awesome! And you were just gonna keep this from me?"

Honoka started pouting and Nozomi couldn't help but release another giggle.

"Of course not. It simply slipped my mind. But yes, they're both coming home for the first time in months."

The radiant smile back on her face at hearing she would see her beloved senpai again, Honoka twirled in front of Nozomi, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"We should all celebrate then! We're already holding a μ's Christmas party at school! If Eli-chan and Nico-chan come, it could be a reunion party too!"

Nozomi smiled at her excitement, and was about to respond when she heard her ringtone go off. Taking out her phone, she checked the caller id and saw that it was Eli. She put the phone to her ear, wondering what Eli was calling for.

"Hello, Elicchi?"

"Nozomi..."

At hearing Eli's anxious tone, Nozomi started to get a sinking feeling.

"What is it Elicchi?"

"I'm...sorry. The weather's gotten pretty bad. We've been snowed in."

Nozomi turned pale, and she almost dropped her phone. Honoka looked on in worry.

_"No no no. Please don't say it."_

"I don't think I'll be able to make it back for Christmas."

Nozomi stood there, disquieted. Somehow finding her voice, Nozomi shakily held onto her phone.

"I-it's fine, Elicchi. It's not like this'll be our only chance to meet up."

"Nozomi..."

"No really, it's fine. I'll have Nicocchi and the other girls to keep me company."

"...if you say so. I'll just have to take your word for it. Merry Christmas, Nozomi."

"Yeah, merry Christmas..."

With that, Nozomi hung up, and stood there. Honoka slowly reached out and touched her arm, taking her out of her trance.

"Nozomi-chan?"

Nozomi put on a smile, trying not to worry Honoka.

"It's nothing, Honoka-chan. Elicchi...simply couldn't make it is all."

Nozomi walked ahead of Honoka, picking up her pace. Honoka trailed behind worriedly. The two were silent all the way to Nozomi's apartment. At reaching it, Nozomi turned to Honoka with that same fake smile.

"Thanks for accompanying me, Honoka-chan. Now, it's been a long day, so I'll just head to bed. I'll see you at the party. Be safe on your way home."

"Nozomi-chan..."

Before Honoka could say anymore, Nozomi went inside, closing the door. Hand hovering over the door, Honoka eventually decided that it would be best to leave Nozomi alone for now, and made her way home.

Nozomi, standing in the middle of her apartment, bit her lower lip as she tried not to let it get to her, telling herself that it couldn't be helped. Hearing her phone ring out again, she was hesitant to pick it up. When she did, she noticed the caller id. It was Nico. Trembling, she answered the call.

"Nicocchi?"

"Nozomi, hey. So I don't really know how to say this..."

Nozomi stumbled backwards into a nearby wall.

"You can't make it?"

"Yeah, I- wait, how did you know?"

"I...just had a feeling."

"Oh. Well, yeah. Turns out the tour's gonna last a bit longer than I thought. So I won't be able to make it. Sorry."

"It's fine, Nicocchi. Have a merry Christmas."

"Yeah. Merry Christmas, Nozomi."

The call ended, and Nozomi slid down to the ground. Clutching her knees, Nozomi finally broke, releasing all her tears.

**_ The next day... _ **

In their old clubroom at Otonokizaka, the girls of μ's were all setting up for the Christmas party. Honoka was setting up decorations, but her mind was still on Nozomi, and she was worried that she still hadn't shown up.

As Honoka was slowly going through the motions of setting up decorations, her mind elsewhere, she heard her phone go off, and took it out.

"Nico-chan? I wonder why she's calling."

Taking the call, Honoka stepped out into the hallway.

"Hello? Nico-chan?"

"Honoka. Eli told me you guys were having a party. Is Nozomi there?"

Honoka bit her lip in anxiousness.

"No, she's not."

"Damn! She's not picking up any of my calls either."

Now, Honoka was really starting to get worried.

"Are...are you not gonna be able to make it either, Nico-chan?"

"...yeah. I told Nozomi yesterday, and she...didn't sound like she was okay. So I thought I'd check to make sure she is, but now she's not answering any of my calls so I can't help think she's not."

"Nozomi-chan...don't worry Nico-chan. I'll go check up on her!"

As strange as it sounded, Honoka could have sworn she heard Nico smile.

"Thanks, Honoka."

"There's no need to thank me silly. Nozomi-chan is my friend too. I love her!"

"Yeah. I'll leave it to you then."

Leaving her with those words, the call ended. Honoka, entering her 'faito dayo' pose to pump herself up, went back into the clubroom, drawing the other girl's eyes to herself. It was Kotori that spoke up.

"Who called, Honoka-chan?"

"Nico-chan. She reminded me that I had something I needed to do. Sorry guys, but I'm not going to be able to stay for the party."

Honoka closed her eyes, clasping her hands together in apology. She opened an eye when she heard the familiar sound of Umi sighing.

"Well, if it's something that you really need to do, then you should go."

Honoka looked up to see that none of them seemed angry with her.

"You're...not mad?"

Hanayo put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

"Of course not."

Maki flicked her hair and looked away in her usual tsundere fashion.

"Nozomi needs you right now doesn't she?"

Rin jumped up in front of her, turning her around towards the door and giving her a little push.

"So you should go-nya!"

Looking back at all the encouraging smiles of her friends, it put a smile on Honoka's face as well.

"Yeah! I'll make it up to you guys some other time!"

Dashing out the door, Honoka started making her way to Nozomi's apartment, going as fast as she possibly could. Once she arrived in front of her door, Honoka paused, thinking over what she wanted to say, before knocking on the door.

One nerve wracking wait later, the door finally opened to see the surprised and puffy face of Nozomi.

"Honoka...chan?"

At seeing Nozomi, and how obvious it was that she was devastated by not being able to see Eli and Nico, Honoka forgot everything she had planned to say, and simply acted on instinct. She drew Nozomi into a hug.

"Honoka-chan!?"

Drawing back, Honoka took a hold of Nozomi's hand.

"We should get you someplace comfortable, Nozomi-chan."

Leading Nozomi into her own bedroom, Honoka sat herself down on the bed, and laid Nozomi's head on her lap. Nozomi, completely bewildered at this turn of events, did not know how to react. Especially not when Honoka started to stroke her hair.

"I know you're hurting, Nozomi-chan. You don't have to hold it in. Rely on me, and let it all out."

And so, she did. Having already been in a vulnerable state, Nozomi wept. She wept until she had no more tears to cry. Afterwards, once Nozomi had calmed down, the two of them just sat there, with Honoka still stroking Nozomi's hair. Eventually, Nozomi decided to break the silence.

"Honoka-chan...what are you doing here?"

Honoka glanced down at Nozomi, and gave her a calm, reassuring smile.

"Well, I know Eli-chan and Nico-chan wouldn't be making it, so I was really worried about you. I didn't want you to be alone."

Nozomi gave a melancholic smile.

"I'm sorry. I must be seeming awfully pathetic. Shutting myself in here for something like that when I could be having fun with the rest of you. Especially on Christmas of all days."

Honoka shook her head.

"Not at all. If anything, you being so used to it just means you've gotten sick and tired of being alone. That's probably why you can still feel lonely even when you're surrounded by people who love you."

"...you're too nice, Honoka-chan. You should be at the party instead of having to console me like this."

Honoka shook her head again.

"No. I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself at all knowing that someone I love is going through such hardship. Not when I can be there for her."

Nozomi's heart skipped a beat. That had been happening an awful lot around Honoka lately. Nozomi had been confused as to why, but now, here in this moment, she realized. She had already fallen in love with this kind and beautiful girl, whose radiant smile managed to bring a smile to her own face. And this time was no exception.

_"You really are too nice for your own good, Honoka-chan."_

Lifting her head off of Honoka's lap, Nozomi brought herself closer to Honoka's face, and laid a kiss upon her cheek, causing Honoka's face to turn red.

_"You're right, Honoka-chan. I'm surrounded by people who love me. And when that includes someone like you, I have no reason to wallow around in my own sense of loneliness. Maybe you only love me as a friend. But that's fine. As long as I can have your love at all, I will be satisfied."_

"N-Nozomi-chan!? What was that for?"

In reply, Nozomi only gave her a wink, and that same mischievous smile she always had that indicated everything was going to be okay.

"Just a little thank you for cheering me up. Now, why don't we both head towards the school to celebrate Christmas the way we should. Together. With all of our beloved friends."

At hearing this, Honoka beamed, and nodded.

"Yeah!"


	20. CheerDay CheerGirl! (Big Sis Honoka)

**_ Homura Bakery _ **

The alarm sounded, and a head of ginger shot up out of bed.

"It's New Year's!"

Out of character for Honoka, she quickly got up, and made her way over to Yukiho's room. Slamming the door open, Yukiho was startled awake.

"Wha! Huh? What's going...Onee-chan?"

"Happy New Year's, Yukiho!"

Still not quite awake, Yukiho takes the time to check her own clock, surprised to see that it was only 6 in the morning.

"Onee-chan, what are you doing awake so early?"

Not able to contain her excitement, Honoka was quite literally jumping up and down.

"It's New Year's Day! There's no time to be sleeping, Yukiho! We have to start the year off right!"

Not giving Yukiho a chance to respond, Honoka left the room, rushing downstairs to see her parents already awake at the table.

"Mom! Dad! Happy New Year's!"

Her parents both smiled at her unusual enthusiasm. Her mother set down a share of food down in front of her.

"Happy New Year's sweetie."

Her dad looked towards the stairs.

"So Honoka woke up before Yukiho. The world must be ending."

Honoka pouted as she went through her food.

"Not funny dad."

Her dad gave out a hearty laugh.

"Well you have to admit. It is rather unusual. Yukiho is normally the more responsible one."

And as if in response to this, Yukiho showed up right on time, taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, it's really weird to see Onee-chan up so early."

Honoka grinned despite these comments as she stuffed her mouth.

"Well it is New Year's after all! It's a day of new beginnings!"

Having distributed Yukiho's share of food, their mother sat down as well.

"Yes, and you can begin by making kagami mocha after you finish eating."

Honoka froze.

"Eh!? B-but I made plans with my friends!"

Honoka's mother appeared unaffected, simply eating in a peaceful manner.

"You can do that later. But first, the shop takes priority. We're especially busy on New Year's Day."

Slumping in her seat, Honoka's pace of eating slowed.

"That's not fair..."

After breakfast was finished, the Kousaka family got to work, with the parents resuming their usual positions in the store, while the sisters went out front to pound fresh mochi.

Having been at it for a while, Honoka collapsed, lying on her back, exhausted.

"Ah! Yukiho! I don't want to do this anymore! You wanna just do it by yourself?"

Yukiho gave her a sharp glare.

"Onee-chan! Just finish this so we can be done."

"But I don't wanna."

Yukiho sighed in exasperation.

"You can't keep being so irresponsible, Onee-chan. I can't always be there for you as the responsible one."

Sitting up, Honoka looked at Yukiho with a worried look.

"Eh? What do you mean you can't always be there?"

"I mean, one of these days, you aren't going to have me be around to help you out with everything."

Hearing this, Honoka got a goofy grin on her face.

"Aw~ I see what this is. You're worried your onee-chan is going to leave you alone."

Yukiho nodded her head.

"Exactl- wait what!? No! It's the opposite!"

Getting up, Honoka walked over to Yukiho, patting her on the head.

"Well don't worry, Yukiho. I promise I'll always be around whenever you need me."

Yukiho sighed in exasperation once more, before smiling.

"Yeah, thanks, Onee-chan. And I promise I'll always be there to keep you in check."

Honoka nodded happily.

"Mmhmm! We're sisters after all!"

Yukiho smirked.

"Yep. So let's get back to work!"

"Urk!" Honoka sighed. "Alright, fine. Might as well finish up here. Then we can go for our shrine visit. Let's go, Yukiho! Faito dayo!"

"Yeah!"


	21. Love marginal (HonoKoto)

**_ Awajicho Station _ **

The second year trio of µ's had planned an outing with one another, to simply hang out around the city. They were just about to board the train when a look of startled realization came upon Umi's face.

"Ah!"

Umi started looking through her purse, and the other two girls looked on in worry. Honoka went up to her, placing an arm on her shoulder, which didn't go unnoticed by Kotori.

"What's wrong, Umi-chan?"

"I left my shopping money at home. I can't believe I forgot it."

Honoka giggled.

"So even you can be forgetful at times huh, Umi-chan? Well don't worry, I'll go back with you to go get it."

As Umi was feeling embarrassed and reminding Honoka that she was the more forgetful of the two, Kotori looked on, envious of their banter.

_"Honoka-chan..."_

"Well then, you two go back together. I'll go on ahead and wait for you."

With a strained smile on her face, and a slight quiver in her lips, Kotori quickly turns around and boards the train, leaving Honoka and Umi behind, confused.

Inside the train, Kotori quickly found a seat, and sat down. Leaning against the window, Kotori's heart clenched as she thought of the sight of Honoka and Umi together. Giving out a sigh, she let her heart take over, and she found herself writing out her and Honoka's name on the window, drawing a heart around it.

Taking a look at it, a bitter smile formed on her face, and she struck a line in the middle of the heart, separating her name from Honoka's, before erasing it completely. Letting out another sigh, Kotori leaned back in her seat, looking up in an introspective manner.

_"Honoka-chan, I love you...I want to tell her that so badly. But I just know she wouldn't feel the same. She likes Umi-chan after all. It's obvious. And so, I will keep these feelings in my heart. I'm sorry, Honoka-chan. I can't tell you about my selfish desires. This secret, marginal love will remain mine alone. It's better that way."_

Feeling something wet on her cheek, Kotori noticed that she was starting to cry. Wiping them away, she willed herself not to, and just sat there, suffering through the pain of heartbreak. Eventually, the train arrived at her destination, and she got off the train at Ikebukuro.

Finding a nearby bench, Kotori decided to sit there and wait for her childhood friends, trying her best to keep her mind off of the fact that they were alone together.

After what felt like an eternity's wait, Honoka and Umi finally showed up. Kotori's eyes zoomed in on their locked fingers as Honoka dragged Umi off of the train.

Not being able to stop herself after having just been deep in thought, stirring her own feelings of jealousy, Kotori felt tears prickling at her eyes. Umi was the first to notice between her and Honoka.

"Kotori?"

With her attention drawn to her best friend, Honoka noticed as well, and rushed up to her, kneeling in front of her to look her in the eyes.

"Kotori-chan!? What's the matter?"

Not wanting Honoka to notice, Kotori faked a yawn, and averted her eyes.

"Nothing's the matter, Honoka-chan. I'm just a bit tired is all."

Honoka was silent for a moment, before turning to Umi.

"Hey, um, Umi-chan. Can you...go get us some drinks?"

Under normal circumstances, Umi would have scolded Honoka for being too lazy to do it herself, but there was nothing normal about this situation. Knowing this was a precarious situation, Umi took the hint, and decided to leave it to Honoka.

"Y-yeah. I'll go do that."

Now alone with just the two of them, Honoka turned back to face Kotori. Bringing her hands up, Honoka cupped them around Kotori's cheeks, and tilted them so that they were making eye contact.

At this point, Kotori could hold it in no longer, and her tears were rolling down her face. Honoka couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"Kotori-chan, please tell me, what's wrong?"

Still trying her best to keep her feelings inside, Kotori shook her head, and pulled Honoka into a hug. Honoka just wanted to see her stop crying, and started stroking her on the back. Eventually, Kotori's tears dried up, and they stayed silent as Honoka continued to comfort her.

"Kotori-chan...will you please tell me what's the matter?"

"...it's nothing."

Having had enough, Honoka separated herself from the other girl, and grasped her by the shoulders.

"It's not nothing, Kotori-chan. You were crying. I hate seeing you cry like that! So please...tell me. Aren't we friends?"

Seeing that Honoka was about to start crying herself, Kotori could hold it in no longer, and dived in. Her lips met with Honoka's. For her part, Honoka did not at all see this coming, and was at a loss. So she knelt there, not sure what to do, and stiff as a board.

Pulling back, Kotori was afraid. However, she knew she couldn't just keep going on like this. So she willed herself to come face to face with Honoka.

"We are friends, Honoka-chan. The best. But that's just it. I can't stand just being your friend anymore. I'm in love with you, Honoka-chan! I love you so, so much. Just seeing you talk to any other girl hurts! But...more than any of that, I want you to be happy. So I resolved myself to keep it all to myself. To never let it surface. I just want you to be happy, Honoka-chan. Even if it means watching you and Umi-chan together. It hurts so much, but I'll take all of it. Just as long as I can see you smile."

Having said everything she wanted to say, Kotori looked down, no longer being able to keep looking at her. Honoka's eyes widened throughout this speech, unaware that Kotori had been feeling this way.

_"So that's why Kotori-chan has been acting so weird around Umi-chan lately...I'm sorry Kotori-chan. I can't believe I never noticed. But..."_

"You're wrong!"

The sudden outburst startled Kotori, and she looked back up at Honoka. Honoka took a hold of both of Kotori's hands, and brought them together, cupping them in her own.

"I don't know how you got it into your head that I love Umi-chan. But I don't. I'm in love with you, Kotori-chan. And I know it might seem like I'm just saying this, but I mean it. I'm in love with my oldest and most beloved childhood friend. The one that would be willing to do anything for me. The one that suffered through so much for me when I couldn't even tell that she was in pain. I love you Kotori-chan. I always have, and I always will."

To emphasize the fact that she truly was in love with her, Honoka kissed her. At first, Kotori was too surprised, struggling with the idea that her feelings were reciprocated. But she eventually melted into it, kissing back with all the passion and love that she had withheld for all this time.

Pulling apart one last time, they looked at each other with a heartfelt look in their eyes. Kotori especially, as her feelings were boiling over.

"Honoka-chan...I must be dreaming."

Smiling, Honoka gave her a little pinch on the cheek.

"Ow!"

Honoka giggled as Kotori rubbed her cheek.

"Not a dream is it? I told you, Kotori-chan. I truly do love you. Always."

They embraced again, this time, an embrace full of affection. Nearby, Umi watched on, and as shameless as this all was, she was sincerely happy for her two best friends.

"Well, I suppose they'll be expecting drinks. I should go and take care of that. They'll be fine on their own for a while."


	22. Garasu no Hanazono (HonoEli with one-sided NozoEli)

**_ Otonokizaka High School _ **

Inside the µ's clubroom, Nozomi Tojo watched on as Eli helped Honoka with her homework. School was out, and the other girls had all left by that point. Umi and Kotori were going to help Honoka with it, but Eli had volunteered, saying that she could help while she worked on her own duties as student council president.

_"Yeah right. She hasn't done any student council work at all."_

Nozomi tried to shake these bitter thoughts from her head as she focused on said student council work. It would do no good to linger on such thoughts. Besides, she was the one that offered to do it while Eli helped Honoka out. Why she had offered such a thing, she knew not.

"...and that's how you solve that problem."

"Wow! You're amazing, Eli-chan! It's so much easier to understand it when you explain it to me. Umi-chan's always nagging me to teach me effectively, and Kotori-chan is usually too busy trying to stop us from fighting."

Eli blushed at the praise, although thankfully, Honoka hadn't noticed, being too busy giggling at the thought of her childhood friends' attempts to help her with schoolwork.

"Well, now I'm finally done! Thanks so much, Eli-chan! You're the best!"

Honoka proceeded to hug her, and then turned to start packing up her things, once again missed Eli's blush deepening. Nozomi, however, did not, and her grip on her pencil tightened, in the same way her heart clenched.

Heading towards the door, Honoka turned around before leaving, waving at the two third years.

"Thanks again for everything, Eli-chan! Nozomi-chan! I'll see you tomorrow!"

With a flourish in her step, Honoka left. Leaving Nozomi alone with Eli, who was softly gazing at the door. Nozomi bit her lip.

_"Why can't you look at me like that, Elicchi? I'm right here!"_

Suppressing these thoughts inside of her, Nozomi stayed silent. Eventually, Eli snapped out of it, and sat back down next to Nozomi.

"Sorry for leaving you with all the work, Nozomi. Here, let me take it off of your hands."

Nozomi forced a smile, and shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I want to help. I would do anything for you, Elicchi. I love you, ya know?"

Eli didn't seem to realize just how much she meant it. Taking it as a joke, she chuckled.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't return your feelings. But I can at the very least, help you out with out student council work."

Nozomi gave a bittersweet smile. She had said it specifically because she knew Eli wouldn't take it seriously. Not being able to stop herself, she let a little bit of that bitterness flow out?

"That's right. You only have enough room in your heart for Honoka-chan, don't you?"

Eli froze.

"W-what are you talking about?"

Nozomi inwardly cursed herself for her lack of restraint, but forced the teasing smile she was known for onto her face.

"Oh come on, Elicchi. You're always looking at her with this look in your eyes. Like she's the most important thing in the world."

_"I just wish you'd look at me with that look."_

Stammering, Eli blushed and waver her hands around, before realizing there was no more reason to deny it, and sighed.

"Yeah, you're right, Nozomi. I am in love with Honoka."

Nozomi's heart clenched once more at those words, and screamed at her to stop hurting herself like this. But alas, Nozomi could not stop herself from wanting to see Eli's beautiful smile.

"What made you fall in love with her?"

And she did smile. Eli gave her a gorgeous smile, and a look filled with longing that just hurt Nozomi even more, knowing that it wasn't for her.

"Everything. From the way her smile lights up the room, to the way that she gives her all in everything she does. It's as if she gives my life meaning just by being in it. I love everything about her, Nozomi."

Resisting the urge to clutch at her broken heart, Nozomi pushed back her tears, and smiled.

"Yeah, Honoka-chan is wonderful. But you're amazing too, Elicchi. I'm sure if you told her how you felt, she'd return those feelings."

_"No no no! What are you doing!? Don't let her leave you!"_

Eli, for her part, had once again flushed bright red.

"N-no. Honoka would never..."

Despite the fact that her heart was tearing itself apart, Nozomi maintained her smile. Going up behind Eli, and giving her a push towards the door. Eli looked back at her, confused.

"You should go after her, Elicchi. You'll always regret it if you don't."

A moment passed, and to Nozomi, it felt like an eternity, but the moment ended, and Eli smiled.

"Yeah, you're right, Nozomi. I have to tell her. Even if it means being rejected. Thanks."

With that, Eli dashed away, in pursuit of their leader, while Nozomi looked on. Now alone, Nozomi finally let the tears fall.

In spite of the heartrending pain she was feeling, Nozomi knew, that as much as it pained her, she was willing to do anything to see Eli be happy.

_"That's why...I have to let her go. As much as I want to keep her in my maze of dreams, just the two of us, alone. I know she'll never truly be happy that way. So I have to let her go...away from this garden of glass."_

Nozomi stayed in the clubroom with these thoughts, crying her heart out, and yet, at the same time, being happy for her most beloved friend.


	23. Kodoku na Heaven (HonoPana)

**_ Otonokizaka High School _ **

µ's, as usual, was practicing on their school rooftop. Eli had called for break, and while Rin had gone to get the two of them a drink from the vending machine, Hanayo had sat herself down to wait. The entire time, she'd been staring at Honoka, who was being spoiled by Kotori, who in turn was being berated by Umi as per usual.

"...chin!"

Her gaze was interrupted by Rin's hand, being waved in front of her face, and she was snapped out of her daze.

"Kayo-chin!"

"Eh? Rin-chan?"

Rin slumped down beside Hanayo, handing her the drink she had obtained for her.

"Geez, Kayo-chin. I was shouting your name for so long. What were you so busy thinking about-nya?"

Hanayo took a quick glance back at Honoka, and blushed.

"N-nothing! I wasn't thinking about anything in particular..."

Rin didn't quite believe her, and stared at her in suspicion. But before she could get anything out of her, they were interrupted by Eli, who clapped her hands together to draw everyone's attention.

"Alright! That's enough rest! Back to practice, everyone!"

Hanayo took this chance to get away from Rin's questioning, and Rin, not wanting to incur Eli's wrath, followed suit. The girls continued on with their practice until the sun was starting to set.

Out of breath, Hanayo collapsed onto her back, trying to recover from the intensive practice session. Eli clapped her hands once more.

"Well done, everyone! That should be enough practice for today."

Honoka's head showed up in her field of view, her gorgeous smile shining down on her. Not expecting to see Honoka's face so close to her own so suddenly, Hanayo blushed, and panicked. Her body reacted, and she instinctively shot up, headbutting Honoka.

The both of them recoiling, they held their hands over their foreheads in pain. Honoka, recovering, noticed that Hanayo had tears starting to form.

"Ah! Kayo-chan! I'm sorry!"

At hearing the apology, Hanayo lifted her head up to look at the second year girl.

"Eh? But...that was my fault, Honoka-chan. I'm so sorry."

Honoka giggled.

"You're so silly, Kayo-chan."

Honoka stretched out her hand, and Hanayo, glad that Honoka didn't hate her, took it, pulling herself up. Now face to face with Honoka, Hanayo stared at her, this time more able to appreciate staring at her beautiful smile from up close. Honoka simply stared back, not thinking anything of the moment. Feeling her cheeks warming up, Hanayo decided to break the silence.

"S-so what's up, Honoka-chan? Did you just come over to see if I was ready?"

"Eh?"

Honoka, tilted her head in confusion, before realizing what Hanayo was talking about.

"Ah! That's right! Hehe, about that...I can't make it today."

Hanayo's heart skipped a beat. For some time now, Honoka and Hanayo had made it tradition to go to the Gohan-Ya restaurant at the end of every school week. Hanayo always looked forward to those days, because it meant she could have time alone with Honoka.

So to hear that she would not be able to have that time with Honoka, Hanayo was heart stricken.

"H-how come!?"

Honoka gave out a nervous laugh.

"Sorry, Kayo-chan. I'm busy today."

"O-oh."

Hanayo didn't know how else to react. Honoka clasped her hands together in an apologetic manner.

"I really am sorry! Next time okay?"

"Yeah..."

Waving goodbye, Honoka ran off. The others had all already left, so this left Hanayo alone. Sighing, she walked over to the railings, hoping to at least see Honoka walk off. Noticing something in her line of sight, Hanayo squinted.

"Wait a second, is that..."

Someone was standing in front of the school gates, and Hanayo could never mistake those features.

"Rin-chan!? What's she still doing here?"

It seemed like she was waiting there for someone. And just as Hanayo was going to go down there and tell Rin that there was no need to wait up for her, Rin waved at someone. It was Honoka that ran up to her, and seeing the two of them walk off together, Hanayo's heart skipped a second beat that day.

"W-why is Rin-chan waiting for Honoka-chan? Is that why she couldn't make it today? Is...is she choosing Rin-chan over me?"

Her thoughts running wild with the thought that Honoka would rather be with Rin than with her, with a heavy heart, Hanayo slowly walked home in a trance.

**_ The next day... _ **

Hanayo sighed when she woke up, not wanting to get out of bed that day. She was still hung up on the fact that Honoka had cancelled on her for her best friend.

Interrupting her sulking, the door to her room was abruptly thrown open.

"Kayo-chan! Rise and shine!"

Hanayo rose from her bed in surprise.

"H-Honoka-chan!?"

Honoka nodded vigorously.

"That's me! Now come on! We have to hurry!"

Pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, Hanayo yelped at the pain. Honoka giggled.

"What are you doing, Kayo-chan? Come on, let's go."

Deciding not to question it, Hanayo got ready for the day. She went through her morning routine, and saying goodbye to her parents, followed Honoka out of the house.

Normally, the curiosity would have been too much for her, and she would have asked Honoka where they were going, or how she had managed to wake up so early. But Hanayo's mind was still dwelling on the thought of Honoka and Rin.

Noticing that Hanayo had been sulking the entire time, Honoka lead her to a nearby bench, and sat her down. Puffing her cheeks, Honoka placed her arms on her hips in an annoyed fashion.

"Alright, spill! What's wrong, Kayo-chan?"

Not wanting to reveal that her worries were about Honoka to Honoka herself, Hanayo put on a fake smile.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would you think there's anything wrong, Honoka-chan?"

Honoka pouted at not being able to get an answer out of her, before a look of realization came onto her face.

"Oh! I know! It's because I forgot to say it isn't it? Happy birthday, Kayo-chin!"

Honoka threw her arms out in a grand gesture, donning a radiant smile. Hanayo, meanwhile, blinked a few times.

"Oh. Is it my birthday today?"

Now it was Honoka's turn to blink in confusion.

"Eh? Is that not why you were sad?"

Hanayo smiled at Honoka's cute naivete, and shook her head.

"No. I was just sad because you abandoned me to hang out with Rin-chan."

It took a moment for Hanayo to register that she had just spoken her true thoughts.

"Eep! F-forget I said anything!"

Waving her arms around in a panic, Hanayo was about to run off, but Honoka grabbed her by the arm. Hanayo closed her eyes, not wanting to see what kind of look Honoka had on her face.

"...I'm sorry."

At hearing the guilt in Honoka's voice, Hanayo slowly opened her eyes to see Honoka looking rather melancholy. Hanayo hated seeing Honoka look that way. She'd much rather see Honoka's usual bright countenance.

"I didn't mean to cancel on you like that, Kayo-chan. But I was just asking Rin-chan for help with getting you a present. I didn't know what to get you, so I had to ask Rin-chan for help."

Hanayo's heart warmed, knowing that Honoka didn't choose Rin over her after all.

"So...you don't hate me?"

Honoka drew her into a hug.

"Of course not! I love you, Kayo-chan!"

Hanayo's heart started beating faster, and she blushed a bright red.

"R-really!?"

Honoka pulled back and nodded.

"Of course! You're one of my best friends!"

And just as quickly, Hanayo's hopes plummeted.

"Right...friends..."

"Mmhmm! And because we're such good friends, I got you something for your birthday!"

Reaching into her bag, which Hanayo had somehow not noticed she had with her until now, Honoka pulled something out of it and held it out to her.

"Happy birthday, Kayo-chan!"

The present that was being handed to her was a small plushie of Honoka herself. An extremely detailed one at that. This present, along with Honoka's signature smile, left Hanayo speechless. Shakily, she reached out and took the gift.

"I didn't know what to get you, so I asked Rin-chan and she told me she had the perfect gift for me to give to you. I don't know where she got it, but I hope you like it!"

Hanayo smiled at her best friend's thoughtfulness. As worried as she should be that Rin knew about her feelings for Honoka, Hanayo was just happy about receiving Honoka from Honoka, even if it was a smaller lifeless version of her, it was still something Hanayo would always cherish. Her feelings getting to be too much to hold in, Hanayo didn't care that Honoka probably only saw her as a friend.

Drawing Honoka into another embrace, Hanayo pushed their lips together. It was only for an instant, but to Hanayo, it was enough. As for Honoka, she was too stunned to react.

"Thank you, Honoka-chan. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten."

Suddenly embarassed, Honoka's face turned red.

"Y-yeah! No problem! A-anyways, let's go, the others are waiting for us! We're throwing a party for you at the school!"

Trying to escape this feeling of awkwardness, Honoka took a hold of Hanayo's hand, and started running towards Otonokizaka. Hiding how red her face was at that point, Honoka tried to ignore the warmth in her heart, and the comfort of Hanayo's hand.


	24. Mogyutto "love" de Sekkin Chuu! (HonoKoto)

**_ Minami Household _ **

A beep rang out through the house, signalling to Kotori that her work was complete. Opening the oven, she took it out and placed it on the nearby counter top. She sighed as she wiped her brow.

"I really hope these ones are good enough. I know Honoka-chan would like any chocolates I made, but I want these to be perfect."

Carefully picking a piece of chocolate up, Kotori slowly dropped it into her mouth. Letting it swirl around before swallowing it, Kotori sighed.

"That one was just a little too sweet. Looks like it's back to the drawing board."

**_ The next morning... _ **

Kotori walked through the school halls, chocolates and flowers in hand, both with a little note attached to them signalling that they were for Honoka. She had even gone through the trouble of arranging the flowers into a bouquet and perfectly gift wrapping the chocolates, all on her own. Nothing less than perfection for when she confessed her feelings to Honoka.

Turning around the corner of the hallway, Kotori smiled as she saw Honoka. But then, she noticed she wasn't alone. Umi stood there beside her, and it appeared as if Honoka was handing her some chocolate. Panicking, Kotori hid behind hallway corner, peeking over it to see what was going on.

Just as she feared, Honoka was giving Umi chocolate. Kotori's heart skipped a beat as Umi accepted it, giving Honoka some chocolate in return. With the classic Honoka smile on her face, she drew Umi into a hug. Not being able to stand this sight anymore, Kotori ran off.

Running up to the school roof to be alone, Kotori collapsed onto her knees, tears starting to form in her eyes. Her grip loosened, and she dropped her chocolates. Looking down at it, a plan started taking shape inside her mind before despair could take over completely.

_"No...the day isn't over yet. I can still win Honoka-chan over! I...I just need to make chocolates so delicious, that Honoka-chan has to fall in love with me!"_

Picking herself up, Kotori found her determination renewed, and quickly made her way down into the school's kitchen. Gently setting the bouquet down on a nearby counter top, Kotori put on an apron, and started getting to work.

"Alright then, here we go again. This time, I'll make something even more perfect for Honoka-chan!"

Finding ingredients around the kitchen, Kotori started experimenting, attempting to create the perfect chocolate for Honoka. Losing herself in her work, Kotori didn't realize that the bell had sounded, signalling for her to go to class. As such, she was startled when she heard the doors swing open.

Having just put a batch in the oven, Kotori froze as she stared at a teacher, who was looking at her, bewildered, with an entire class of students behind her who were equally bewildered.

"Minami-san? What are you doing in here?"

Not knowing how to react, Kotori just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"All home ec classes have been cancelled today! Um...yeah, my mother said she would let me have the kitchens for the day."

"Well...if those are the principal's orders..."

With one last skeptical glance at Kotori, the class left, allowing Kotori to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Oh, mom is going to be so mad at me. But I can't worry about that. I have to do this! For Honoka-chan!"

Getting back to work, Kotori continued to work for the rest of the day unencumbered. But sadly, her progress was not going great. At the end of the school day, the kitchens were a complete mess, with chocolates and ingredients littered all over the place.

"No no no! None of these are good enough for Honoka-chan!"

"What's not good enough for me?"

Kotori could feel her blood run cold, and slowly turned towards the doors where she heard the voice. To her despair, there stood Honoka, looking around at the mess that she had made.

"I've been looking for you all day, Kotori-chan! Have you been in here the entire time?"

Terrified, Kotori didn't know what to do. All she could think about was how she had nothing to give to Honoka.

"H-Honoka-chan..."

Honoka giggled.

"You're acting so weird, Kotori-chan. Come on, smile! It's valentines day! And speaking of which..."

Honoka reached into her bag, and pulled out what appeared to be a miniature Honoka. Not the most detailed depiction, a little messy in fact, but it was still obvious enough who it was supposed to resemble.

"Here you go! It took me a while to make this, and maybe it's a little bit weird, but I thought you might like having a mini-me to eat!"

With shaky hands, Kotori took hold of the Honoka chocolate.

"This is...for me?"

Shifting her gaze from the chocolate to Honoka, Kotori was surprised to see Honoka looking off to the side, blushing.

"Yeah, and that's not all. I...I have something to tell you, Kotori-chan. This...isn't giri choco."

Understanding the implications of what Honoka just said, Kotori's eyes widened, unable to believe what was happening.

"W-what?"

With a demure expression unbefitting of the normally cheery ginger, Honoka found the courage to take Kotori's hands into her own, and staring her directly in the eye as she attempted to transmit her feelings.

"I'm in love with you, Kotori-chan. I have been for so long. So...will you please be my valentine?"

Overloaded with everything that was happening, Kotori started sputtering, unable to coherently form her words.

"B-but...I...you...Umi-chan...what!?"

Honoka tilted her head in confusion.

"Umi-chan? What about her?"

"I...I saw you give her chocolates! A-and you two even hugged! Aren't you two a couple now?"

Finally understanding what was going on, Honoka couldn't hold herself back from chuckling.

"Well of course I did. Umi-chan is one of my best friends. But Kotori-chan, those were giri choco."

Kotori blinked, and her brain shut down trying to take it all in. Realizing that she had been jumping to conclusions this entire time, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Oh."

As Kotori just stood there, Honoka bit her lip, growing anxious.

"You...never answered my question."

Kotori sprung back to life as she remembered that she had never given Honoka a reply.

"Ah! That's right! I love you too, Honoka-chan! So very much! I even did all of this for you!"

Gesturing around her, Kotori also remembered that she had nothing to give to her.

"But...I guess it doesn't mean anything if I have nothing to show for it. I'm so sorry, Honoka-chan. I got so lost in my jealousy that now, I don't even have anything to give to you."

Seeing Kotori start to tear up, Honoka embraced her.

"I'm just happy knowing you love me back, Kotori-chan. Besides..."

Separating from her new girlfriend, Honoka once again reached into her bag, and pulled out a familiar looking box of chocolate with Honoka's name on it. Recognizing it, Kotori gasped out in surprise.

"Ah! Those are..."

Honoka nodded with enthusiasm, opening the box and grabbing a piece, tossed it into her mouth. Enjoying the taste, Honoka's face broke out into a giant grin.

"Delicious! Only Kotori-chan could make chocolates this good!"

Now Kotori was really dumbfounded. This whole day had just been leaving her at a total loss. But remembering the flowers, Kotori decided to try not being completely helpless in this situation and attempted to carry out her initial plans. Rushing over to get them, she presented the bouquet to Honoka.

"I'm...really sorry about everything, Honoka-chan. If I weren't so focused on making everything perfect for you, this day probably would have gone by a lot smoother. But...I love you. So here, this is for you."

Giggling, Honoka took the flowers.

"You don't have to apologize, Kotori-chan. It makes me really happy that you'd go this far for me. And even if you don't think so, I know all of these other chocolates are delicious too, because you put so much love and care into them. I promise I'll savor every single one of them."

While used to Honoka's praise, it didn't stop Kotori from blushing at the barrage of compliments. Allowing herself to enjoy some more of Kotori's chocolates, Honoka's smile turned into a rather mischievous one.

"Although the other girls probably won't be happy that you didn't get them anything."

Once again remembering that she had completely forgotten about giri choco in general, Kotori facepalmed.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot. I feel awful."

Giggling once more, Honoka brought Kotori in for another hug.

"Don't worry, Kotori-chan. You've made so much chocolate here, you could just give some of it to them. I won't mind."

Reassured, Kotori returned the hug. Of course, even with that solved, there was still the fact that her mother would probably be furious with her for interfering with school activity like this.

But wrapped in the warmth of Honoka's embrace, Kotori found that she didn't quite care. Seeing Honoka so happy with her, she decided that it was more than worth it.


	25. soldier game (Honoka x SG trio)

**_ Homura Bakery - 1904 _ **

Sonoda Umi entered into the bakery, and seeing the Kousaka matron, bowed in greeting.

"Good morning, Kousaka-san."

A bittersweet smile on her face, the mother of the Kousaka household shook her head.

"Please, Umi dear, no need for the formalities. You're like a third daughter to us. I presume you're here to see Honoka off?"

Umi nodded.

"She's right upstairs. She's probably packing up right now."

Bowing once more in appreciation, Umi made her way upstairs. Hesitating before Honoka's door, she gathered up her courage, and knocked on the door. A loud thump was heard, and worried, Umi knocked again.

"Come in!"

Having permission, Umi opened the door to the sight of Honoka having fallen down on her butt. At seeing her friend since childhood, Honoka's countenance brightened.

"Umi-chan! What are you doing here?"

While Umi would have usually returned a smile at seeing that of Honoka's, she couldn't bring herself to in this situation.

"Honoka...are you absolutely certain about this?"

Having the topic brought up, Honoka's smile turned bittersweet.

"Yeah...I'm sorry, Umi-chan, but this is just something I have to do."

Umi clenched her fists.

"So you're saying you have to leave me behind like this?"

A melancholic smile on her face, the look in Honoka's eyes was resolute all the same.

"I...I don't want to leave you, Umi-chan. But...I can't stand by as our countrymen die in this war. I don't want to fight, I don't want there to be a war in the first place...but if people I know and love are going to lose their own loved ones, then all I can do is fight so that I can end the fighting."

At this point, Umi's eyes were starting to tear up. She did her best to try to keep them back, but was not very successful in doing so.

"But then what about me!? If I lose you, then you're just letting someone else lose someone they know and love!"

Not having anything to counter that argument, Honoka simply drew Umi into a hug, letting her cry out into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Umi-chan. But it's like I said, this is just something I have to do."

Umi's tears flowed freely, but she relaxed her grip on Honoka.

"...this is just like you, Honoka. Always just making reckless decisions without caring about how I feel."

"...I'm sorry, Umi-chan. But I promise, I'll come back to you."

Umi scoffed, looking away bitterly.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Honoka."

Honoka drew back from the hug, lifting Umi's face so they could meet eye to eye.

"Hey, I'm serious here, Umi-chan. I will come back to you. This, I promise you."

This was it. If Umi was going to confess the feelings she had held inside so long for Honoka, this was the perfect moment. But after a moment of debating with herself, she decided not to.

"Okay. I'll hold you to that, Honoka."

Later, Umi went with Honoka to the docks, where she was set to depart. Honoka gave all of her family members one last hug farewell before she set off. Of course, she didn't leave Umi out of a teary farewell hug either.

Though all Umi wanted to do was hold on and never let go, she respected her friend's wishes. Honoka gave her one last smile, and Umi watched, painstakingly, as the woman she loved went off to war.

"Honoka...I want so much to tell you how I feel. To just take you in my arms, and live out the rest of our lives together. But I know you always keep your promises. So I will wait. I will wait for the day that you return, and when you do, I will tell you then, about how much I love you."

**_ Japanese Camp Near the Yalu River - 1904 _ **

Wincing in pain, with a limp on her left side, Honoka was being carried by a fellow soldier into a treatment tent. Inside was a red haired nurse, who took a quick glance over at them.

"A leg injury huh? Alright, just set her down over there."

Carrying out the order, the soldier did just that before leaving, with one last worried look at Honoka. Now alone with the nurse, Honoka simply watched the nurse as she went about gathering the tools to treat her wound. Once she was done, she turned back to Honoka.

"Alright, this should be an easy enough patchwork. Just hold still, though it might hurt a bit."

Despite what the nurse said, Honoka found that the nurse's touch was gentle, and she was already starting to feel a little bit better. The nurse continued treating her wound while they sat in silence. Deciding this silence wasn't comfortable, Honoka chose to break it.

"So what's your name, miss?"

The nurse simply shook her head.

"It's rude to ask someone for their name without introducing yourself you know?"

Honoka gave out a nervous laugh at the reply.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. My name is Kousaka Honoka. It's nice to meet you."

This prompted a small smile out of the nurse.

"Well, not sure how nice it is to meet me under these circumstances, but I'm Nishikino Maki."

Just as she said that, Maki finished tying a bandage around Honoka's wound.

"Alright, that should do it. It wasn't anything too bad, but you're going to need to rest for a while. Don't do anything too strenuous until it recovers."

Honoka nodded at the instructions. Her job now complete, Maki sat back down in her chair, lighting a cigarette as she relaxed. Honoka watched as she did so.

"Should a doctor really be smoking?"

At hearing the criticisms, Maki scoffed.

"I don't really see how it's any of your business. This is just how I de-stress from all of this."

Honoka giggled as she carefully got up, making sure not to put too much pressure on her wounded leg.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But you're taking care of all of us so well. You're like...an angel. You watch over us like one, and you're even as beautiful as one. I just think it's a shame that you don't take care of yourself as well."

With those words, and one last smile, Honoka left Maki alone, sitting there, gaping. Having lost grip of the cigarette, Maki's face started to match the colour of her hair.

"Well...maybe I'll think about it."

**_ Japanese Camp near Mukden - 1905 _ **

Two soldiers stationed guard in front of a tent saluted Honoka as she walked closer.

"The prisoner is in here, captain."

Honoka nodded with a smile.

"And she speaks Japanese correct?"

The soldiers both nodded.

"Good, that will make things easier then. I'll take it from here, you two are dismissed."

With one more salute, the two soldiers took their leave. Taking this opportunity, Honoka went in to meet the captured enemy soldier.

The enemy soldier glared at her as she walked in.

"I won't talk. It doesn't matter what you do, I don't plan on betraying my country to you dirty Japanese just to save myself. So you might as well just kill me."

Honoka only responded to this hostility with a smile.

"Yeah, I didn't think you would. You seem like the kind of person that would be that loyal. I really admire that you know."

The Russian soldier only scoffed at that.

"Enough with the formalities. Just kill me and get it over with. Like you did so many of my comrades."

Honoka could see the pure hatred and anger in her eyes, and her smile turned melancholic.

"I know how you feel. I've already lost so many of my friends in this war. And I'm probably going to keep on losing those dear to me as it goes on."

The prisoner gave a dry laugh.

"So what? You're gonna take it out on me? I know you must be desperate for revenge."

Honoka shook her head.

"Of course not. That would be silly. It wasn't your fault. And I don't blame your country for it either. The only thing to blame is the war. I just...want it all to stop. I hate it. Why do we even have to fight? Why can't we all just get along...?"

The prisoner stayed silent, her anger having vanished, and now contemplating Honoka's words. Honoka chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I must sound so naive to you. I'm sure you don't want to be associating with the enemy. But even so, I want to be friends. I'm Kousaka Honoka, what's your name?"

The prisoner contemplated whether or not to trust this person. By all means, she had no reason to. This woman was an enemy commander after all. And yet...something about her just made the Russian want to place her trust in her.

"...Eli Ayase."

**_ Tokyo, Japan - 1906 _ **

Sonoda Umi stood in front of Honoka's house, just as she did 2 years previous. However, this time, there were 2 major differences. The first, was that she now bore a smile on her face as she did so. The second, was that it was no longer the Homura Bakery that Honoka called home. Honoka had taken it upon herself to move out of her parents' home and strike out on her own.

Walking up to the apartment, she rang the doorbell, and waited for it to open. The footsteps could be heard getting closer, and the door soon opened to reveal a Honoka that had matured greatly in her time away. It could even be seen in her smile, which had become more maternal in a way. Although the greatest indicator was the bump that was protruding from her stomach.

Yes, it came as a great surprise that Honoka had returned to her pregnant, which had been the reason she had been taken off the front lines before the war was over. And yet, despite the shock, she had just been all too happy that Honoka had fulfilled her promise and returned to her alive. Although it did hurt that Honoka had fallen in love with a man during the time they were separated, it hurt even more to see Honoka devastated with the news that her lover had perished in the final stretch of the war.

And so, even if Honoka's love had already been given away, Umi's own love for her allowed her no other choice of action than to stay by her side and help her raise her child. Even if she could not claim Honoka's love for herself. At least, that was before she was introduced to two others that had come back with Honoka.

"Honoka, who is it?"

Umi's expression soured as she heard the voice. A beautiful blonde woman came into view behind Honoka, and her smile too fell as she noticed who their visitor was.

"Umi."

A curt greeting.

"Eli."

And just as curt a reply.

Umi would not pretend that she liked this woman, who had come back with Honoka from the war. And she most certainly would not pretend she approved with her living in the same apartment as Honoka. Even with her argument that she had nowhere else to go, Umi knew that relished this opportunity to get closer to Honoka. It was for this reason that she had resolved that she would fight for Honoka's love.

Suddenly, Honoka's expression brightened further.

"Maki-chan!"

This exclamation made Umi and Eli turn their attentions to the newly announced arrival, both of them scowling at the blushing face of the redhead. Their scowls only deepened as Honoka went to go hug the doctor.

"Oh, I'm so happy that you and Umi-chan are always coming over to visit."

Her blush deepening, Maki slowly but gladly returned the embrace.

"W-well, of course! With someone as troublesome as you, I have to go out of my way to make sure you're not stressing yourself out too much. You have the baby to worry about too now after all."

Not wanting to lose to Maki's personal doctor angle, Umi pulled Maki away from Honoka.

"Yes, I cannot leave you alone either, Honoka. You are, after all, my oldest and most precious friend. I will always be here for you."

Eli's eye twitched in annoyance. Both she and Maki hated when Umi pulled the childhood friend card.

"Yes, well, as much as we appreciate the help, I think you two worry too much. I myself am more than capable of taking care of any needs Honoka might have. We do, after all, spend all of our time together."

Smirking, Eli savoured the glares that were being sent her way. Perhaps the most threatening approach was Eli's, for they all understood how lucky she was to actually be able to share a living space with Honoka.

Honoka herself just giggled, and drew all three of them into a tight group hug.

"Aw, I'm so lucky to have every single one of you girls looking after me. Really, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Ceasing their hostilities towards one another for a moment, the three all lost themselves in Honoka's warmth, simply enjoying being appreciated by the woman who had so easily become the center of their lives.

Even if they were all willing to fight for Honoka's love, it was her happiness that took priority, and they were just glad that they could contribute to it.


	26. soldier game timeline drabbles

**_ Honoka and Eli's Apartment - Honoka's Room _ **

"Honoka? Breakfast is ready."

Knocking on the door to Honoka's room, Eli wasn't quite surprised to find no response. Even so, Eli didn't want Honoka to sleep in all day, and so, she opened the door. She was greeted with the predictable sight of Honoka laying in bed, still asleep.

This prompted a shake of the head out of Eli. As she walked closer in order to wake Honoka up, she heard Honoka say something. Pausing where she was, Eli waited a moment more to see if Honoka was awake.

"...Eli-chan..."

Eli smiled as she realized that Honoka was just talking in her sleep, although her cheeks reddened at the thought that Honoka was dreaming of her. Becoming mesmerized by how adorable Honoka was when asleep, Eli crouched down to get a better look.

Although she had originally come in to wake Honoka up, Eli found herself unable to do so, now cherishing this moment alone with the woman she had come to love. Deciding it couldn't hurt to let Honoka sleep in a little more, Eli carefully circled around the bed, and slipped herself in beneath the sheets, embracing Honoka from behind.

Try as she might, she couldn't wipe the smile that had appeared off of her face. And as she leaned into Honoka's warmth, finding herself being drawn to sleep into it, she knew she didn't even want to.

_"Well...I suppose breakfast can wait."_

**_ Honoka and Eli's Apartment - Living Room _ **

"Hm...everything seems fine."

As per usual, Maki was just wrapping up her daily check up on Honoka. While she would have just given an excuse for why she visited everyday, the truth was that Maki just could not bring herself to stay away from Honoka for very long.

Honoka smiled as Maki started packing up her equipment.

"Thanks for doing this, Maki-chan. I appreciate you going out of your way to come check up on me everyday."

Maki blushed in embarrassment.

"I-it's nothing. After all, it's not like I can trust you to be responsible enough to keep yourself healthy with a baby on the way."

At this, Honoka puffed up her cheeks.

"I'm not that irresponsible! I can take care of myself. Besides, you say that as if I didn't already have Eli-chan and Umi-chan looking after me."

Maki's eye twitched at the mention of the other two girls.

"I see. So you're saying you don't need me here then?"

"Eh? Of course not! I love you! Even if I don't need you to take care of me, I still need you around!"

Though she should have expected it, Maki was caught off guard by the earnest reply, and her face quickly became as red as her hair.

"I-idiot! You can't just say things like that!"

Honoka tilted her head in confusion.

"Say things like what?"

Now more embarrassed than ever, Maki looked away from Honoka's inquisitive gaze.

_"Calm down, Maki. She didn't mean it like that. Honoka is just being Honoka."_

Despite telling herself this, Maki could not stop her heart from hammering inside of her chest just from hearing those words come out of Honoka's lips.

"I...it's nothing. I'm glad to know you feel that way is all. Because...I love you too."

**_ Tokyo City _ **

"It's been so long since just the two of us have hung out together like this hasn't it?"

Honoka looked at Umi, who was staring off into the sunset, a look of nostalgia in her eyes. This was their first outing alone together since Honoka had returned from the war, and seeing her like this, Honoka couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, it really has been too long. Being together with you like this...might have been what I've missed most when I was away."

Umi's face turned red at this, and though the old Umi would have started sputtering about how shameless Honoka was being, the Umi that had been apart from Honoka for so long knew to treasure every little bit of affection Honoka had to give her.

"Yeah, me too. I've really missed this. And I want to cherish every moment I can spend with you."

In a reversal of how things had always played out, it was now Honoka who was turning red, while Umi stared into her eyes with earnest affection.

"G-geez, Umi-chan! It's not like you to say something like that."

Umi smiled at the rare sight of a flustered Honoka.

"Isn't it? Well then, I'll have to remedy that. I lost you once already, Honoka. I'm never going to let that happen again. From now on, I'm going to make the most of the time that I have with you."

Still flustered, Honoka could do nothing but try to hide her face behind her hands. At the sight of Honoka like this, Umi couldn't stop herself from letting out a giggle. This prompted Honoka to peek out through between her fingers. Just as the sight of a flustered Honoka was rare to Umi, so too the sight of such a free spirited Umi was to Honoka. With Umi's good mood infecting her, Honoka smiled her usual radiant smile.

"You don't have to worry, Umi-chan. I promise, I won't leave you ever again."

**_ Honoka and Eli's Apartment - Honoka's Room _ **

"Aw, look Onee-chan! She's so cute!"

Honoka giggled at the sight of her usually serious little sister, as Yukiho fawned over Honoka's newborn child. Although as Honoka stared down at the little miracle she had given birth to just a few hours ago, she found that she couldn't blame her.

"Yeah, she really is, isn't she?"

Eli and Umi, much like Yukiho, acting in a way opposed to the normally stern image they portrayed, were also cooing over how adorable Honoka's child was.

Maki stood by the side, a smile on her face as she watched the Kousaka family celebrate the new member of their family. Of course, as a doctor, Maki had helped deliver many babies, but she felt especially proud to help bring Honoka's child into this world, as biased as it may sound.

Although eventually, she had to interrupt. Clapping her hands together a few times, she successfully got the attention of the others in the room.

"Now now, as tempting as this all might be, Honoka did just give birth. She needs her rest."

At this, Honoka's mother smirked, taking the baby into her hands.

"Yes, come Yukiho, we should leave Honoka alone. After all, we wouldn't want to get in the way of these three and their alone time with Honoka."

Handling the baby with the experience of a veteran mother, the Kousaka matron left the room, followed by a giggling Yukiho. This left the accused three blushing, now alone with Honoka.

There was an awkward silence, as none of the girls were quite sure what to do in this situation. None except for Honoka that is, who broke out into light laughter.

"I'm so glad I have you girls here with me. I have to be the luckiest person alive to be able to have you with me through all of this."

Suddenly, Honoka grew pensive, her fists tightening around the blankets that covered her.

"Would...it be too much to ask that you guys continue to stay by my side?"

The trio shared a look. It didn't happen often, but at times, Honoka showed a fear of abandonment. Trauma that still existed from losing her lover in the war. As much as the three usually didn't get along, making sure Honoka was happy was something they would all do anything for.

Umi was the first to act, making her way to Honoka, she took Honoka's hands in her own.

"Don't be stupid, Honoka. I told you, didn't I? I'm never letting you leave me again. Not ever."

Eli quickly followed, putting her hand on Honoka's shoulder to assure her.

"I have to agree. You're being rather silly, Honoka. There's nothing that could ever make me leave your side."

Maki, not having any room left to console Honoka with, decided to be bold and hopped onto the bed, putting a hand to Honoka's forehead, as if measuring her temperature.

"Are you sure you're okay, Honoka? You really should get some rest if you're delirious enough to think I could ever leave you by yourself."

At the reassurance and comfort from the three that had quickly become the most important people in her life, Honoka started tearing up. But these tears indicated not her sadness, but instead her joy. Breaking out into a large smile, she drew all three of them into a group hug.

"Aw, you girls really are the best! I am so very lucky to have you three in my life!"

The trio smiled, glad to have been able to be of help to Honoka. Although they would surely start fighting over Honoka's affections again soon afterwards, in this moment at least, they were just glad to see Honoka's smile.


	27. Yuuki no Reason (HonoUmi)

**_ Otonokizaka High School - Rooftop _ **

"Happy birthday!"

Umi froze as she stepped onto the rooftop that had become so familiar to her, not expecting the surprise. When she opened the door to the roof, she had just expected to walk into a normal day of practice. She certainly hadn't expected any of the confetti blasters and balloons, the giant banner congratulating her on her birthday, the tables with food and drink set up, nor had she been expecting the other girls to have been lying in wait to shout out their congratulations of her special day.

The girls of μ's had really gone all out for this, and despite being too shocked to say anything at the moment, Umi really appreciated it. Especially because, though she wasn't willing to admit it out loud, she had forgotten that it was even her birthday.

Honoka skipped up to Umi, and held out her arms, with a present in her hands and a grin on her face.

"Happy birthday, Umi-chan!"

With her girlfriend snapping her out of her stupor, Umi returned the smile, and gratefully accepted the gift. Honoka continued to stare at her, the grin still plastered on her face and the look in her eyes gave away her excitement.

"Well? Aren't you gonna open it!?"

Umi only smiled her usual calm smile.

"No, I think I'll wait to open all the presents once I'm alone."

Honoka pouted, the excitement draining from her face.

"Boo! You're no fun, Umi-chan."

Honoka walked off to where Kotori was, sulking. Not being able to help herself, Umi giggled at how adorable Honoka was being, and set her present aside. As much as she really appreciated the thought, all Umi wanted for her birthday was to be able to spend the day with Honoka. Just as she was about to go and do exactly that, Rin popped up in front of her from out of nowhere, catching her off guard.

"R-rin! You can't just startle people like that."

Rin stuck her tongue out, smiling apologetically.

"Nyahahaha, sorry, Umi-chan. But here, your gift. Happy birthday-nya!"

Umi accepted the gift, setting it aside, and waited for Rin to go back to talking to Hanayo. However, Rin seemed content to be where she was, insistent on being around the birthday girl.

"So? Did we surprise you, Umi-chan?"

Umi nodded.

"Indeed. I never expected you girls to even know when my birthday was. Let me guess, this was Honoka's idea."

Rin nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yep! Honoka-chan said she wanted to go all out for this! And we were all glad to help-nya!"

Umi's heart warmed at the idea that Honoka cared enough to do such a thing just for her. Hearing this, she just wanted to be with her girlfriend even more. However, it seemed as if the universe wouldn't allow that, as Hanayo and Maki walked up, Hanayo presenting Umi with her own present.

"Here you go. Happy birthday, Umi-chan!"

Umi set Hanayo's gift aside as well. Next, it was Maki that stepped forward, presenting Umi with her own gift.

"Happy birthday, Umi."

Just as with Hanayo and Rin's, Umi gracefully accepted the birthday present. The two of them also seeming to not want to leave her alone anytime soon. Hanayo for her part seemed to be in a chattier mood than usual.

"So do you have any plans for your birthday?"

Umi would be lying if she said she didn't.

_"Yes, I want to be with Honoka the entire day."_

But even so, she just maintained the composed smile she had on.

"Not really, no. Having you girls go through all this trouble for me is more than enough."

Despite having said this, all Umi wanted to do was to go spend some time with Honoka, but she felt it would have made her seem ungrateful to just tell them to leave her alone when they had put so much thought into celebrating her birth.

Maki herself appeared to be more sociable than she normally was as well.

"Oh? So you don't normally celebrate your birthday then?"

Umi shook her head.

"No. Well, Honoka and Kotori usually cook something up, but I never make a big deal out o- eep!"

Interrupted in the middle of her sentence, a pair of hands came from behind Umi, violating her personal space, as well as her chest. Jumping away from the violator, Umi was not surprised to see that it was Nozomi. Behind Nozomi were the other upperclassmen, and all three of them had in their hands a gift clearly intended for her.

"Happy birthday!"

Umi truly did appreciate the gesture, but even so, she internally sighed.

_"All I want is to be with Honoka. Is that really so much to ask?"_

And now, it seemed as if all the girls were crowding around her, constantly asking her questions. But as much as she wanted to just tell them how she felt, she didn't want to be rude to her friends who had gone through the trouble of setting all of this up for her, and she certainly didn't want to say something as shameless as wanting to just be with Honoka.

And so, she stood there, faking a smile and answering their questions when all she wanted was to be with her girlfriend. Fortunately, Kotori swooped in and saved the day, giving Umi the present she herself had prepared.

"Well, not sure how much you'll like this gift, but here you go, Umi-chan! I'm sure you'd much rather have Honoka with your birthday present though."

Umi's face quickly heated up.

"K-Kotori! What are you saying!? That's so s-s-shameless!"

The other girls all seemed to get the hint, Nico even smirked in that usual smug manner of hers.

"Oh, I see how it is. Well then let's go girls. Wouldn't want to get in the way of these lovebirds after all, would we?"

Nico started for the exit, looking at Umi with a pretentious look on her face all the while. Eli sighed at how immature she was being.

"Well, as annoying as Nico might be about it, I can't say I disagree. It is your birthday after all. You should get the chance to be with the one you love."

With one more smile sent Umi's way, Eli also headed for the exit, with the other girls following suit. Kotori trailed behind, staring straight at Umi with a serious look on her face.

"You need to be more bold, Umi-chan. Be selfish, like Honoka-chan. You can't be afraid of wanting to be affectionate with Honoka-chan. That's the best way to make both of you happy."

Having said her piece, Kotori too left for the stairs, leaving Honoka alone on the rooftop with Umi. This didn't go unnoticed by Honoka.

"Eh!? Where's everyone going!? You can't just leave Umi-chan on her birthday like this!"

Pouting in an angry manner, it looked as if Honoka was going to go reprimand all of them. Before she could do so however, Umi took hold of her arm.

"Eh? What's the matter, Umi-chan?"

Though her face was aflame, Umi remembered Kotori's words, and forced herself to calm down.

_"I need to be more selfish. Right. Honoka needs someone that can show her the affection she deserves."_

Resolving herself to become such a person for Honoka, Umi pulled said ginger into a hug. Honoka was caught off guard by the act, not at all expecting it.

"Eh? Umi-chan?"

"Honoka...what would you say...if I said that all I wanted for my birthday...was you?"

"E-eh!?"

Honoka's own face became just as red as Umi's face was, and she didn't quite know how to react to this unusually bold Umi. Although she had to admit...she kind of liked it.

She returned the embrace, but not before quickly pressing her lips to Umi's.

"But of course. I love you, Umi-chan. Everything that I am already belongs to you."

Umi didn't think her face could get any redder, but she could have sworn that it was doing exactly that. Feeling more giddy than she ever had, she embraced Honoka even tighter.

"Yeah, me too. I love you, Honoka."


	28. Darling! (HonoMaki)

**_ Otonokizaka High School - Music Room _ **

**"Ganbareru kara kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite..."**

The final note of Aishiteru Banzai hung in the air, but it was not to be the last, as it was followed up by the sound of applause. Maki turned to the door, not at all surprised to see Honoka there, clapping her heart out. Honoka was always like this, even more so after she and Maki had started dating. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that Maki had come to expect it after every session on the piano at this point.

"Amazing as always, Maki-chan! Ah, that song feels so nostalgic. That's the song you were playing when we met isn't it? Were you thinking about me then? I didn't know you were such a romantic, Maki-chan."

It seemed that no matter how often Honoka praised her like this, it just wasn't something Maki could ever get used to. As always, her face turned the colour of her hair, and she looked away to the side, sputtering.

"G-geez! What are you saying, Honoka!? I just felt like playing that song is all!"

Honoka giggled, walking up to Maki before wrapping her arms around the redhead.

"Well if you say so. I can't argue with the birthday girl after all."

Still blushing, Maki avoided Honoka's gaze, not wanting Honoka to see just how flustered she made her.

"W-well as long as you realize that."

"Speaking of which, happy birthday! So what do you want? Just tell me and I'll get it for you. Anything!"

Maki blushed at how cute Honoka was when she smiled at her like that.

_"All I want Honoka, is for you to reserve that smile for me and me alone."_

Of course, Maki was never going to say something that corny out loud, so she just flipped her hair, maintaining an air of indifference.

"Hm, even if there was, would you really be able to get it for me?"

Honoka gave out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess you'd already have everything you'd want huh? But even if I can't get you any good physical presents, I think I might just have something you'd like. So let's go, Maki-chan!"

Taking Maki by the hand, Honoka started leading her away. Maki, not expecting to be dragged away like this, stumbled a little trying to keep up.

'W-where are we going!?"

Honoka flashed her a quick smile.

"It's a surprise!"

Maki was used to getting dragged along by Honoka through whatever crazy scheme was running through her mind at this point. But even so, she couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit curious at exactly what kind of crazy scheme she was getting dragged into.

Honoka stopping out in front of the school gates did nothing to sate her curiosity. In fact, it just further stoked it as Honoka handed her a piece of cloth. Maki stared at it with a skeptical gaze. Honoka was not deterred by this, and simply kept smiling.

"It's a blindfold! You have to put it on, Maki-chan, or else it'll spoil the surprise!"

With an exasperated sigh, Maki did as instructed and put on the blindfold.

"This better be worth all the trouble, Honoka."

Honoka took that as a signal, and took off, Maki in tow. Without her sight, Maki had no choice but to focus on the feeling of Honoka's hand grasping onto her own. A small smile finally formed on her face, and though she would never admit it, being able to focus on the small acts of affection that Honoka gave her made it so that not being able to see wasn't such a bad thing.

Maki didn't know how long they had been walking, but eventually, they stopped.

"Okay, Maki-chan, you can look now."

While already missing the contact with Honoka, Maki did not allow this to show, and simply took off the blindfold with the grace she attributed to everything she did. Once again being able to see, the first sight she opened her eyes to was Honoka making a grand gesture to their destination. The destination in question being Maki's very own home.

"Ta-da! I bet you weren't expecting me to bring you to your own house huh? I talked to your parents and managed to convince them to let me throw a party here. Everything's already all set up inside!"

_"Honoka...talked to my parents about this? She got their approval?"_

This alone impressed Maki, and it warmed her heart to know that her girlfriend would be willing to try and convince her usually strict father to do this for her. But even so, Maki did not want to appear too eager or easy to please, so as usual, she tried to hide it with a face of apathy.

"That's it? All that suspense and you just bring me back to my own house? That's not very romantic."

It only lasted for a moment, but for the first time that day, Honoka's smile dropped. Though she quickly brought it back up, it did not evade Maki's notice. Maki was almost tempted to apologize for her overly harsh reaction, but Honoka went on unabated.

"I'm sorry, Maki-chan. But I promise I tried my best! Let's go in, maybe you'll be impressed once you see everything!"

As Honoka continued to drag her inside, Maki tried to convince herself that Honoka was fine. After all, she was moving forward as she always did, and Maki acted like this all the time. But try as she might, that feeling of guilt continued to gnaw at her as they walked inside.

Inside the living room of the home, everything was set up to celebrate Maki's birthday. Decorations were up, Maki's songs were being played through a music player, and there was even a giant banner hanging from the ceiling, the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKI!' written on it. The rest of the girls of μ's were ready and waiting for her as she walked in.

"Happy birthday, Maki/Maki-chan!"

Maki gazed around with wonder at how far Honoka had gone for her birthday. She could see how much attention and detail had to be put into everything, and she was really touched that she had a girlfriend that would do that just for her.

Then, as if Honoka could sense her thoughts, she popped up in front of her with an expectant grin.

"So? What do you think, Maki-chan?"

Maki tried to make sure she didn't look too excited, once again donning the stoic look when she looked at Honoka.

"I suppose it's not too bad. It's okay I guess."

This time, Honoka was visibly disappointed, her smile that had been permeating throughout the day stayed on her face, but it was different from before. Her smile no longer reached her eyes. Maki could tell that it was forced, and the guilt stabbed deeper into her heart.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I should have worked harder on it huh?"

Just as she was about to apologize, Rin skipped up in front of them, with the other girls not far behind.

"Maki-chan! Happy birthday-nya!"

"Th-thanks, Rin."

Honoka used that moment of distraction to slip away, and by the time Maki looked back, she was already walking away. Maki was about to go after her, but she was stopped by the inopportune arrival of the other girls.

"Um, happy birthday, Maki-chan."

"Horosho! Happy birthday, Maki."

"Indeed. Do you want a birthday fortune read to you, Maki-chan?"

"Happy birthday, Maki-chan!"

"Yes, happy birthday, Maki."

"You must be having a great birthday now that you have the super cute Nico-ni here to celebrate your birthday with you!"

While Maki would normally be happy to be surrounded by her friends like this, all she could focus on right now was the fact that she had hurt Honoka. She wanted to go after her, but the interruption had already caused her to lose track of where she went.

"Thanks everyone. But did any of you see where Honoka went?"

"Oh? Didn't you spend enough alone time on your way over? I guess you just can't keep your hands off each other huh?"

Desparate to make amends with Honoka, Maki was too fed up to react calmly to Nozomi's teasing.

"I'm serious! This is important!"

Everyone was taken aback, not expecting Maki to explode like that. Luckily, it was Umi that managed to regain her composure first.

"I think I saw her going out back."

"Thank you, Umi."

With that, Maki ran off to the back exit of the house, dearly hoping that Honoka hadn't just left. Arriving at the backyard exit she breathed a sigh of relief to see that Honoka was there, leaning on the rail that overlooked the garden. Maki started walking forward when Honoka sighed.

"It's just no good is it? I guess a constant screw up like me...just isn't good enough for someone like Maki-chan. She deserves better than someone like me."

"That's not true!"

Startled, Honoka whipped her head around, and she winced when she saw Maki coming closer with such a serious gaze. Maki grasped Honoka's hands into her own, and stared intently into Honoka's eyes.

"Honoka...I'm so sorry."

For her part, Honoka only gave a self derisive laugh.

"What are you sorry for, Maki-chan? I'm the one that's sorry. I'm just not-"

"No! Stop it, don't say things like that! I can't stand it. You should always be smiling, Honoka. But you're not, and it's all because of me. You're...the one that deserves someone better than me."

"Eh? What are you talking about, Maki-chan? I'm the one tha-"

Maki, already having an idea of what Honoka was going to say, put a finger up to her lip, cutting her off.

"...you know, I actually loved everything you've done for me today. It's all so amazing. You're so amazing, Honoka. But even though you've done so much for me, I still can't express how much I appreciated it. I've never been very good at expressing my feelings. And I...I hate that part of myself. I hate myself for not being able to show you how much you mean to me. I hate that I took away your smile. You should be with someone that can properly give you the affection you deserve."

Honoka was shocked. This entire time, she thought she just simply wasn't good enough for Maki. She didn't know how to react to Maki saying something like this. So, she just did what she did best, and let her emotions take control.

She dove in, and their lips connected. Maki's eyes widened in surprise, and she stood there, stunned. Honoka drew back, and she smiled.

"You're wrong, Maki-chan. There's no one else that I'd rather be with."

"...even though I'm just an ice queen that can't show you how much she loves you?"

Honoka giggled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I think you're doing a great job."

For the first time that day, Maki returned Honoka's smile. Rather than argue with her girlfriend any further, Maki decided to embrace the affection Honoka was giving to her, just as she should have from the very beginning. Once more, their lips connected.

_"Honoka, you really do deserve someone better, even if you don't agree. But I don't want to let you go. So I promise, I'm going to become someone deserving of your love. Someone that's not afraid to show you, to show the whole world, how much I love you. Because, my darling Honoka, I really do love you so very much."_


	29. after school NAVIGATORS (HonoNicoRinPana)

**_ Otonokizaka High School _ **

Like any other school day when μ's didn't have practice, Honoka hummed to herself as she packed up her things, preparing to go home having finished all of her classes for the day. It was then that the classroom door slammed open. Looking towards the door, Honoka was surprised to see Nico, Rin, and Hanayo pushing and shoving each other through as they ran towards her.

"Honoka-chan-nya!"

"Honoka!"

"Honoka-chan!"

Shocked at the sudden intrusion, Honoka jumped back out of her seat as the three practically slammed into her desk.

"E-eh!?"

Honoka had no clue what was going on, and the intensity in the stares of the three did not help matters. It was Nico that decided to break the stare down, slamming her hands down on her desk.

"Honoka! Tell these two that waffles are the way to go!"

Naturally, this just confused Honoka even further.

"Eh? Waffles? What are you talking about, Nico-chan?"

Before she could get an answer, Rin slammed her hands on the table next.

"No! Ramen is best-nya! Tell them, Honoka-chan!"

The most shocking was when Hanayo slammed her hands on the desk as well.

"Honoka-chan! You agree with me don't you? Rice is always best!"

At a time like this, Honoka was really wishing that Umi was there to help her control the situation. But alas, Umi had already left for archery practice, and Kotori had her part time job as Minalinsky.

But even without them, Honoka knew she had to stop this sooner or later, so she quickly held out her hands, signalling for them all to stop.

"Okay stop!"

Honoka's outburst succeeded in its goal, and the other 3 girls quieted down, giving Honoka all of their attention.

"Okay good. Now, and calmly, what's the problem exactly?"

Deciding that Hanayo was the most sensible one, Honoka gestured to her to explain the situation. With the most serious look Honoka's ever seen on her, Hanayo nodded.

"Rin-chan and I were going to go get food after school, but we couldn't decide between going to Gohan-ya or going to a ramen stand. Then Nico-chan overheard us, and started saying that we should just go get waffles instead. We've been arguing ever since about which is best, so we decided that you should decide for us."

Honoka put a hand to her chin in thought.

"Hm...so you want me to decide on something to eat huh? How about...cheeseburgers!"

"Eh?"

The three stared at Honoka like she was crazy, with Nico jumping up and pointing at her as if she actually was.

"You've gotta be kidding me! You're supposed to fix this not add more fuel to the fire!"

Expecting this reaction, Honoka could just give a nervous little laugh.

"Alright I get it. But I have the perfect solution! Come on, just follow me!"

Taking the time to finish packing up her things, she started skipping towards the exit of the classroom, humming a cheery tune all the while. The other three girls looked at each other before shrugging, and then they proceeded to follow Honoka.

The girls' confusion simply grew as Honoka kept on moving forward like this, even after exiting the school grounds. They were getting more and more confused as to what Honoka's supposed solution was, and they were growing increasingly curious as to where Honoka was leading them, until she finally stopped.

"Oh! We're finally here. Come on, let's go in girls!"

The other three looked up at the the place that Honoka had just skipped off inside to. While Rin and Hanayo were confused, Nico scoffed.

"This was her big solution? A maid cafe?"

"But Honoka-chan's already gone in..."

"Yeah, she told us to follow her, I'm sure she knows what she's doing-nya!"

Though grumbling on the way, Nico followed the two into the maid cafe, where they spotted Honoka already being sat at a table. Honoka, who had been wondering what was taking them so long, started waving at them to come over.

Rin excitedly hopped down onto the seat besides Honoka, while Nico hesitantly took the seat across her and Hanayo took the remaining seat. It appeared as if the girls had great timing, as a maid came up to take their order.

"Welcome back, mistresses."

Nico looked up, ready to take a look at the menu and complain to Honoka about how a maid cafe wasn't a solution to their problem, but she almost fell off her chair when she took a look at the maid.

"K-Kotori!?

Kotori giggled at the sight. Rin was just as shocked to see the second year there, but while Hanayo was surprised as well, she also remembered something about Kotori.

"Oh that's right, you work here don't you, Kotori-chan?"

Kotori did a little twirl, showing off her uniform.

"Yep! So what did you want today, mistresses?"

Before they could answer, Honoka took the chance to glomp Kotori, startling her.

"H-Honoka-chan!"

Not afraid to display her affection for her childhood friend, Honoka smiled at the other three girls while maintaining her embrace of the part time maid.

"See, what did I tell you? This is the perfect solution! Nico-chan can have her waffles, Kayo-chan can have her rice, Rin-chan can have her ramen, and we all get to hang out with Kotori-chan on top of it! Nothing better than this!"

Nico sighed in a reluctant sort of amusement.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Alright then, one serving of waffles!"

Rin was all too happy to join in on the happy atmosphere.

"That's right, everything's always better with friends-nya! Give me some ramen!"

Hanayo giggled, enjoying the whole scenario as well.

"Some omurice for me then."

Kotori, still reeling from being tackled by Honoka, panicked to remember their orders.

"U-um...waffles...ramen...omu-"

Unfortunately for her, she was broken out of her train of thought when Nico snapped her fingers.

"That's right, we should get some drinks too!"

"Hm, that's right. What should we get?"

"You can't go to a cafe without tea-nya!"

Now, Kotori was really struggling to keep up with the girls.

"W-wait! Please slow down! Honoka-chan, help me!"

Honoka for her part, wasn't quite paying attention, humming in contemplation as she looked over the menu.

"Oh! How about some takoyaki?"

"Honoka-chaaaaaaaaaan!"


	30. MOMENT RING (μ's fluff)

**_ Otonokizaka High School - Behind the Stage _ **

Honoka could hear the chattering of the audience as they waited for the show to start, and couldn't help but to break into a wide grin. Umi, getting ready beside her, noticed this.

"What's got you so happy, Honoka?"

Honoka giggled in response.

"I was just thinking about how far we've come. When we first started, with just the 3 of us, this place was so empty. But now...just listen to all those people out there, all for us! It just makes me so proud to know that we've managed to come this far."

Umi smiled at that.

"Yes, it's hard to believe how much we've accomplished. Being an idol...it isn't something I ever would have seen myself doing, and I certainly had my reservations about it. But when you put your mind to something, there isn't anything you cannot accomplish. I have no regrets in following you all the way here, Honoka."

Honoka blushed at all the sudden praise, and was about to start sputtering in denial of it when Kotori joined in giggling.

"She's right, Honoka-chan. I'm not surprised that we made it this far. Not at all, not with you leading us. I'm sure I don't need to say it, but I could never regret following you in whatever it is you decide to do."

At this point, all the other girls had turned their attention to the three, and the girls all allowed a smile onto their faces as they shared the same sentiments. Rin was all too happy to join in on the positivity.

"Yeah, I'm so glad you invited me-nya! It's because I became a member of µ's that I managed to gain some self confidence-nya. I'm so proud to have been a part of all of this."

Hanayo nodded in agreement.

"Me too. I love school idols, and I'm so glad I got the chance to be one. It's all thanks to you three for reaching out to me, as well as Maki-chan and Rin-chan for giving me the push I needed. I'm so thankful for all of it."

Hanayo looked at the other two first years. Rin beamed back at her, while Maki looked away in embarrassment.

"I-it was nothing. But...I feel the same way. I never really gave any thought to being an idol or anything...but I'm really glad you showed me what it was like. Now, I can't imagine not being with the rest of you like this."

As one would expect, Nico took the opportunity to make fun of Maki in her moment of vulnerability.

"Oh? What's this? So you really do love us after all."

Nico had a conceited smirk on her face as she waited for Maki's reaction.

"...yeah, I really do. Thank you for letting me be a part of µ's."

Nico certainly had to admit that she did not at all expect that reaction. With the wind taken right out of her sails, Nico just looked away in embarrassment.

"Well fine then, if you're gonna be that way...I have no choice but to admit it either. I love being around you girls. You saved me you know? I was just about to give up on everything when you all came along and helped pick me right back up."

Everyone else giggled at Nico's expense, and she was about to yell at them all for it when Nozomi came up and washi washi'd her, causing her to let out a scream and back away as quickly as she could.

"You're so adorable, Nicocchi. But I do get where you're coming from. I've never cherished anything as much as my friendship with the rest of you girls. It's been quite a journey hasn't it? And to think, Elicchi was against all this at first."

Eli was embarrassed to have been called out for her past actions, and was ashamed at remembering them.

"I...I'm sorry about all that. I should have believed in you from the very beginning, Honoka."

Honoka giggled, moving around to bring Eli into a hug.

"Don't be silly, Eli-chan. You didn't even know me back then. And I'm not exactly the most reliable person anyways. I don't blame you for thinking our idea was stupid."

Eli smiled at this reassurance.

"Well, either way, I'm really glad you girls convinced me. I...really am grateful for every single day that I've been able to stand alongside you all like this."

Now more than ever, after having her feelings returned by every single member of μ's, Honoka could not keep the smile off her face. Not that she wanted to of course. Her emotions overflowing, Honoka wrapped them all up into one big group hug.

"I really do love you girls!"

Though they weren't expecting for Honoka to suddenly jump on them like that, not a single one of them thought of rejecting it.

Pulling back from the hug, Honoka then stretched her arm out, along with her index and middle fingers.

"Alright, let's do this! One!"

Honoka's happiness in this moment was contagious, and the other girls quickly followed suit.

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

Honoka looked around at the girls who had very quickly become the best friends she could ever have dreamed of, her second family. Words could not express how proud she was of them, and they all stared back with the exact same sentiments written on their faces. Truly, with them at her side, Honoka felt like she could accomplish anything.

"μ's! Music...start!"


	31. Dancing stars on me! (HonoNozo)

**_ Honoka and Nozomi's Apartment _ **

Nozomi sighed as she unlocked the door to her apartment. After a particularly grueling day at work, she would have loved nothing more than to just hop into the shower and then call it a day. So tired was she that she didn't even notice Honoka wasn't there to greet her at the door like she always was.

On her way to take said shower, Nozomi caught the aroma of something delicious as she passed by the kitchen area. Taking a quick look, she saw Honoka standing there, overlooking the stove as she prepared some food. Curious, Nozomi walked over and hugged Honoka from behind, causing her to let out a 'eep' in surprise.

"What are you making, Honoka-chan?"

"N-Nozomi-chan!"

With a characteristic wink, Nozomi gave Honoka a small kiss on her cheek.

"Yep, that's me!"

"W-welcome back! H-how was your um...day?"

Nozomi sighed, both out of exhaustion as well as anticipation of the delicious meal Honoka had been creating for her.

"It was just plain awful. But nevermind that. It's over now and I can just relax at home with you."

Honoka nodded, and gave Nozomi a return kiss on the cheek.

"Well then, you just go take a relaxing bath, and by the time you're done, I'll have dinner ready!"

"Hm, yeah. That sounds sublime right now. I think I'll go and do that."

With a casual washi washi, Nozomi headed off to go take her bath. In the old days, Honoka would have freaked out at a washi washi, but at this point she had gotten so used to it, it was more a sign of affection for her than anything else. As for Nozomi, she did it more out of habit now, compared to when she used to do it because she wanted to tease her girlfriend. Although she certainly wouldn't deny that she just loved the chance for contact with Honoka.

Once the bath had been drawn, Nozomi sinked in with a sigh of relief. Truly, there was no better feeling than a nice hot bath after a day of hard work. Relishing in it, Nozomi sat there, letting all the exhaustion leave her body, until she felt that she had been in there long enough.

_"It wouldn't be good to keep Honoka waiting after all."_

After changing into her pajamas, Nozomi walked back out into the kitchen area, and saw that Honoka had dinner set up not in the kitchen, but outside on the balcony. This gave her pause, and for the first time that night, Nozomi got the hint that something about Honoka might have been different tonight.

The realization was further hammered into her once she went outside and Honoka didn't even appear to notice her, seemingly lost in thought. Only now, after being refreshed from her bath, did Nozomi notice that something was off with Honoka. Thinking back to the past hour, Nozomi realized in hindsight that Honoka had been rather...unusually fidgety, just as she was now.

She slid down into the seat across from Honoka, where her food was already laid out for her, deciding to break the ice a little.

"This all look's so delicious, Honoka-chan!"

Just as Nozomi thought, Honoka didn't realize Nozomi had arrived, and nearly jumped back in shock at the sound of her voice.

"N-Nozomi-chan! You're done already? W-well come on and sit down then!"

With a suspicious gaze lingering upon her girlfriend, Nozomi did as instructed and took the seat across from Honoka. Taking a quick look around the table, Nozomi noticed that everything was meticulously setup. Quite strange for Honoka indeed. A moonlit dinner outside on the balcony, complete with romantic candle lighting and the food prepared was of much higher quality than was usual as well. It was clear that Honoka went to great lengths to make this dinner a special one, though why that was, Nozomi did not know.

So she decided to get right to the heart of the matter.

"So what's all this for, Honoka-chan? Not that I don't appreciate how romantic you're being, but I love having the normal relaxing dinners with you too."

The question just seemed to make Honoka even more nervous, as she started visibly fidgeting in her seat.

"W-well, I just wanted to do something special for your birthday that's all. Oh! I haven't even said it yet, have I? But even though it's late, happy birthday, Nozomi-chan!"

Nozomi blanked at the words, as if the words were having a hard time sinking in.

"Wait...it's my birthday today? Ah, I completely forgot! Thanks for remembering, Honoka-chan! It really does mean so much to me that you'd do all of this just for my birthday."

"Ehehehe, it's no problem, Nozomi-chan."

After that, the conversation came to a complete halt. Honoka just quietly sat there, slowly eating her dinner. This was quickly beginning to wear on Nozomi, and she sighed, looking off into the starry night sky. All she wanted was to relax at home with her beloved girlfriend after a trying day. But something seemed so off with Honoka today, and Nozomi didn't like it at all.

It was then that the idea came to her. There was little that Honoka enjoyed more than singing and dancing, and it would be a waste to let such a romantic moonlit night go to waste. Deciding to go for it, Nozomi quickly stood up, taking a hold of Honoka's hand and pulling her away from the dinner table. This, of course, caught Honoka by complete surprise, and she stumbled a little before being falling into the arms of Nozomi. When she looked up at Nozomi to question it, she was greeted by a smile.

"Come on, Honoka-chan. Let's dance!"

"Eh?"

"Don't you think it would be so romantic to dance under this beautiful night sky? I know I do. So let's do it, Honoka-chan. Just a little request from the birthday girl."

For the first time that night, Nozomi finally saw Honoka smile. Even if it was just a small one, Nozomi would still cherish it nonetheless.

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I deny such a cute birthday girl?"

And so, they did exactly that. The two of them, gazing into each other's eyes, dancing the night away on their small, intimate little balcony under the moon and the stars. Eventually, the two did stop dancing, but their gazes upon one another remained, as they slowly leaned in, until they were so close that their eyes closed on their own. Their lips met, and underneath this moonlit birthday night, the scene could only have been described as magical.

Once they separated, they continued staring into the other. At the height of her emotions in what seemed like a perfect moment between the two of them, Honoka couldn't help but let her thoughts slip.

"Nozomi-chan...marry me."

Nozomi blinked, trying to process what she just heard. Surely, she must have mistaken what Honoka had just said.

"Eh?"

Honoka herself realized what she had just said and jumped back, panicking, already starting to tear up.

"N-no! I didn't mean for it to come out like that! Stupid stupid stupid! Oh what was I even thinking? This whole thing was just so stupid! Who even thinks of proposing on their partner's birthday? I'm just ruining the whole day for you! And I didn't even get you a birthday present! I must seem so obnoxious right now! Acting like this is a birthday present on its own."

But throughout all of Honoka's panicking, Nozomi barely paid attention to any of it. Her attention was focused solely on an object that fell out of Honoka's pocket when she jumped back from her. It was a small, black box, and it wasn't hard to guess what was inside.

_"So...it's true then. I didn't mishear her. She..actually proposed to me. Honoka-chan proposed to me!"_

Feelings of joy started overflowing within Nozomi, and she launched herself at Honoka, interrupting her self deprecating tirade with a deep kiss. Honoka was caught squarely off guard by it, and was too stunned to form any words in light of it.

"Yes! My answer is yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

It took a long while for Honoka to process Nozomi's answer, but once she did, her own grin began to form, and she returned the embrace with just as much fervor. Her tears having now become tears of joy.

"You really mean it!? You really want to marry someone like me?"

Nozomi giggled, still giddy with happiness.

"Of course you silly girl. I would love for nothing more than to be happily wed to the most wonderful person in the world."

Though throughout the day, Honoka had been far too nervous to smile much like she was used to, it was now impossible for her to stop. She leaned in for one more kiss. Though this one was more of a simple peck, it was more than enough to the two recently engaged, and they both leaned into the other's shoulder, sighing with contentment.

"You know Honoka-chan, I didn't think much of today at all. I just wanted it to be over, but now, I don't ever want it to end. This really is the best birthday ever."


	32. START:DASH! (KotoHonoUmi)

**_ KotoHonoUmi Apartment _ **

"I'm home!"

Umi announced her return as she closed the door behind her. As expected, Honoka came bounding out towards her, quickly embracing her.

"Welcome home, Umi-chan!"

Despite the way she might have usually portrayed herself, Umi wasn't about to turn down a hug from Honoka. There was little that she enjoyed more than the feeling of Honoka in her arms. There was just something so comforting about it, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't cherish how much love Honoka put into each one.

They hadn't been hugging long when Kotori showed up, following after Honoka.

"Honoka-chan, where are yo- Oh! Umi-chan, welcome back."

Kotori didn't hesitate to join in on the hug, happily embracing both of her childhood sweethearts. While the Umi of their high school years would have been embarrassed and started freaking out about the intimate contact, this Umi had gotten used to it by now, and was even able returned the embrace.

Despite this, nothing could change that she wasn't the most touchy-feely of people, and as such, pulled back. Though Honoka started pouting, Kotori had on her usual accommodating smile as she took Umi's coat from her.

"So, how was work today, Umi-chan?"

Umi let out a sigh.

"Same as always I suppose. I just wish the kids were more passionate about their kendo. Anyways, enough about that, have you two eaten dinner yet?"

Honoka vigorously shook her head.

"Of course not, Umi-chan! We would never start without you! Besides, I have something I need to tell you two tonight, and I thought dinner would be a nice time to do it."

At hearing this, Umi looked over at Kotori to see if she had any clue about what Honoka wanted to tell them, but unfortunately, all Kotori could give her was a hesitant smile and a shrug.

Though admittedly curious about it, Umi was rather hungry, and decided to just go along with it. It wasn't long after they were all seated that Honoka started digging in, seemingly already having forgotten about what she had planned to tell the other two girls.

Kotori, having been curious for a while now, decided to get to the heart of the matter.

"So, Honoka-chan, what was it you wanted to tell us?"

Honoka stopped in the middle of chewing, with a look of realization on her face. Of course, she remembered to finish swallowing her food before shouting out her announcement to them.

"Oh yeah! I'm going to America next week!"

With that bombshell dropped, Honoka went back to eating her dinner as if it was just a casual piece of news. To the other two girls however, it was no small matter.

Taken by complete surprise, Umi started choking on her food while Kotori dropped her chopsticks in shock.

"W-what!? What do you mean, Honoka-chan!?"

Still excited at the prospect of going to the United States, Honoka didn't quite notice how distraught Kotori was already sounding.

"My manager decided that it would be good to appeal to my fans outside of just Japan, and I guess she thought America would be a good place to start since it's someplace I've been to before. So I'm holding a concert in New York City. It'll be just like the time we were there back when we were μ's. It's exciting isn't it!?"

Umi, finally recovering from her choking fit, quickly got up, slamming her hands down on the table.

"This is so sudden! How long are you going to be gone for!?"

Honoka put her hand up to her chin in thought.

"Hm, I think about...a month?"

This time, it was Kotori that slammed her hands down on the table as she got up.

"A whole month!? We're supposed to last a month without you!?"

As if unaware of their plight, Honoka just giggled, waving off their concerns.

"You girls worry too much. The time's going to fly by, I'll be back before you know it!"

Honoka simply continued on like nothing happened, but Umi and Kotori on the other hand, went through the rest of the night in a daze, barely registering anything else.

It was no secret just how attached Kotori was to Honoka, and Umi, as much as she argued with Honoka, couldn't ever imagine life without her.

So when time came that they were all settled into bed, with Umi on the left, Kotori on the right, and Honoka sandwiched between them both as always, both Kotori and Umi held onto Honoka tightly as she slept, in fear that she'd just slip away.

**_ The next day... _ **

Umi sighed as her students were all busy sparring with one another, too lost in her thoughts to notice that a few of them had finished until one of them started tugging at her clothes. Umi looked down to see Tsurugi, one of the students that she taught.

"Sonoda-sensei, what's the matter? You look sad."

Umi smiled at the child's innocence, and ruffled her hair.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. It's an adult matter. You should just focus on your training."

The student next to her, Fuu, started giggling.

"I know what it is. It's about Honoka-sensei isn't it?"

Not at all expecting to hear one of her students to hit the mark like that, the surprise showed on Umi's face.

"Eh? H-how did you know!?"

A third student, Yukari, started jumping up and down in excitement.

"Oh! I know about that! It was on the tv last night, Honoka-sensei said that she was going to America! You're feeling lonely, aren't you sensei?"

Umi sighed once more. No use in denying it. Honoka came in to assist her often enough that these children already knew how close they were, and Umi was already missing Honoka, even though she wasn't set to leave for another few days.

"Yeah, I guess I am..."

Meanwhile, In Kotori's fashion design studio, she sighed in a similar manner, having been unable to focus on her work all day. Her assistant, Emma, had noticed this.

"Um...Kotori-san? Is something the matter? You've been sort of...out of it."

Kotori simply sighed again, turning to face her.

"Emma, you're from overseas. How likely do you think it is that a foreign woman will try and seduce Honoka?"

Of all the things that Emma had been expecting, that was certainly not one of them.

"Eh? Um...I'm...really not sure about that."

For the third time in the past minute, Kotori sighed once more.

After the day had come and gone, Umi and Kotori both returned home in the same mood. Honoka had yet to come home that night, and the two girls just sat together on the couch together, heads on each other's shoulders, both despairing over how empty their lives would become in the coming month.

They stayed that way until Honoka finally arrived, slamming the door open with her usual amount of energy.

"I'm home!"

Skipping over to the living room, Honoka's smile quickly turned into a frown at noticing the forlorn atmosphere surrounding the room.

"You two are still down in the dumps about me leaving?"

She didn't get an answer, as they stayed silent and depressed. Honoka was now the one sighing in exasperation.

"If you're so worried about me going off on my own, then why don't you just come with me?"

This actually got a reaction out of the two girls, and they blinked at one another as they thought it over.

"Well...I could always get my dad to cover the dojo while I'm gone.

"And I could get Emma-san to take charge for me."

Honoka's signature grin returned in full force.

"It's decided then, we're going to New York! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!"

Honoka skipped off to their bedroom, already starting to think about all the fun things they could do together in America.

**_ A month later, in Times Square... _ **

Honoka walked out to the sight of a large audience, and marveled at the fact that she had this many fans even in a country overseas.

"Hello, everyone! You all probably know this already, but I'm Honoka Kousaka! Something you might probably not know, is that back in my country, we have something called school idols, and-"

A sudden shout of "μ's!" from the audience interrupted Honoka, although this only served to make her smile even brighter.

"Yes, that's right! I used to be part of a school idol group called μ's. I'm so happy that you've heard of us even here in America! Now for those of you who do know us, I hope you'll be just as excited as I am for this!"

With that as their cue, Umi and Kotori both proceeded to step out on stage as well, and this caused the fans to go wild.

Kotori for her part waved at the fans with gusto, somewhat excited to be back on stage after so long. Umi on the other hand, anxiously fiddled around with her outfit, nervous for the same reason.

Honoka had come up with the idea that they perform with her, for old time's sake. Though Kotori had readily agreed to go along with Honoka like always, Umi had been rather hesitant. Regardless, one set of puppy dog eyes later, and Umi couldn't resist from giving in.

So now here they were, in a foreign country facing a crowd of fans wearing the same outfits that they had on when they made their debut so many years ago.

"This one's special! Here's a little number for the hardcore fans that know about my μ's days!"

As Honoka grabbed onto both of their hands, they gave each other a knowing smile. It seemed that no matter how much time had passed, some things never changed. Honoka always swept them up into her rhythm. And as the music started, they both knew they would never have it any other way.

**"I say...hey! Hey! Hey, start dash!"**


	33. Niko puri Joshi dou (HonoNico)

**_ Yazawa Household _ **

"Nico Nico Nii!"

Standing in front of her mirror, Nico struck her signature pose, looking upon her own form. Giving herself a once over, she smirks and nods in self-satisfaction.

"Perfect! I'm looking even cuter than ever! There's no way Honoka will be able to resist my advances."

For a while now, Nico had been trying to come to terms with her feelings for the second year, and now that she had finally accepted that she was in love with the girl, she decided that there was no better day to court her than today, for it was the great Nico-Nii's birthday.

"Today is my day! On this day, Honoka has to pay attention to me!"

Cackling rather loudly at the thought of having Honoka's attention all to herself, Nico didn't notice that Cocoro had entered into her room.

"What are you laughing at, Onee-chan?"

Stopping mid laugh, Nico jumped back once she noticed Cocoro was now inside her room.

"Wah! Cocoro, what are you doing!? Knock next time!"

Cocoro tilted her head in confusion.

"But I did."

Ashamed at how off guard she was caught by her little sister, Nico panicked, quickly grabbing her bag.

"Oh would you look at that, I need to head to school. Well take care Cocoro!"

With that, she ran off, leaving her confused sister behind.

Nico took her time getting to school, making sure she looked her best. Today was a special day after all, and she needed to be even cuter than she usually was.

Still looking over her hair and make up by the time she reached school gates, she was startled by Honoka's voice, almost dropping her phone in the process.

"Nico-chan! Happy birthday!"

Still stunned by how sudden Honoka's appearance was, Nico wasn't ready when Honoka tackled her into a hug. Still unable to regain her bearings, Nico simply stood there as Honoka pulled away from her, who gave her a quick look over.

"Is it just me or do you look extra cute today?"

Not expecting the compliment at all, Nico's face quickly turned red as she started sputtering incomprehensibly. Before she had the chance to get out something intelligible, the bell rang.

"Oh! There's the bell. Well, I don't want to be too late or Umi-chan's going to scold me. See ya later, Nico-chan!"

It was only after Honoka was gone that Nico finally processed what just happened, and screamed in frustration, causing the nearby students to look at her warily. But after embarrassing herself in front of Honoka like that, she couldn't bring herself to care how embarrassing she was to a group of strangers, so she ignored it and stomped off to her own class.

After all her classes were over, Nico was deep in thought as she made her way to the club room.

_"Ugh, I can't keep looking like an idiot like that. I need to be more prepared next time."_

Just as she was thinking that, Honoka once again popped up out of nowhere.

"Hi, Nico-chan!"

"Wah!"

Once again caught off guard, Nico jumped back in surprise. To Nico's annoyance, Honoka giggled at her apparent clumsiness.

"S-stop scaring me like that Honoka!"

This only made Honoka giggle even more.

"I can't help it, you're just too cute, Nico-chan."

For the second time that day, Nico's brain shut off from Honoka hitting her with a surprise compliment, her face once again turning red. Unaware of how she was making Nico feel, Honoka made it worse when she took Nico's hand in her own and started leading her away.

"Come on, Nico-chan! it's time for practice!"

Nico could only focus on the feeling of their hands intertwined together as they walked towards the club room. But eventually, they arrived, and Honoka finally let go of Nico's hand. Nico would never admit it out loud, but she was already starting to miss the contact. However, she didn't have much time to dwell on it before Honoka flung open the door to the club room.

Continuing the trend of Nico constantly being taken by surprise that day, the other μ's girls were all there waiting for her, shouting the second they saw her.

"Happy Birthday!"

There was a large glittering banner hanging from the ceiling saying 'Happy Birthday to the number 1 idol in the universe', with presents on the table. There were even various idol themed paraphernalia littered around the room which they usually didn't let Nico keep around.

"You guys..."

With how much she had been focusing on Honoka, Nico had actually forgotten that it was her birthday, so this surprise birthday party the girls were throwing for her made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Nozomi, never missing a chance to tease her, quickly picked up on this.

"Aw, look at that. We managed to make Niccochi cry."

Not realizing she had started tearing up, Nico quickly wiped it away.

"S-shut up! I just wasn't expecting it that's all!"

Eli giggled, expecting exactly that sort of reaction from her fellow third year.

"It was all Honoka's idea. She said it was the least we could do for you."

Nico glanced over at Honoka, who was now suddenly bashful at the attention being given to her, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Well, you deserve it Nico-chan. I don't think we give you enough credit for how much you do for us."

Touched by Honoka's sentiments, Nico breathed deeply and gave out a sigh.

"You know what? Screw it."

"Hm? Nico-cha-!?"

Honoka wasn't the only one caught off guard when Nico suddenly dived in to kiss her. The other girls all stared on in shock as well. After a moment of enjoying the sensation of Honoka's lips on her own, Nico slowly released the other girl from her grasp. Blushing at her own actions, Nico looked away in her tsundere-esque manner.

"You've been surprising me and ruining my plans the entire day. Geez, how am I supposed to dazzle you with my cuteness when you act so casually about it?"

Still too stunned to respond, Honoka stood there in silence. The growing silence started making Nico nervous, and eventually it proved too much for her, and she started to run off. But fortunately, Honoka snapped out of her stupor just in time to grab her by the arm and pull her back. Following through with the momentum, Honoka pulled Nico into a surprise kiss of her own.

Once she pulled away, Nico's face was now redder than ever as Honoka stared into her eyes with a look of utter adoration.

"Geez, you really are too cute, Nico-chan."

They continued staring into one another, easily getting lost in each other's eyes. That is, until Maki's whistling broke the silence.

"Well, I can't say I was expecting any of that."

Thoroughly broken out of her happy atmosphere with Honoka, Nico glared at Maki in annoyance. But just as she was about to yell at her, Honoka pulled her in for another kiss, and Nico quickly melted into it.

_"Well...this isn't quite how I planned for it to go. But I just can't get mad at how it turned out. This result is pretty nice too."_


End file.
